Wigan music venue awarded crucial charity funding

The Snug, based in Atherton, was the recipient of £1,494 courtesy of MVT’s (the Music Venue Trust) Pipeline Investment Fund to pay for gear including drum microphones, drum stands, monitors and business training.

The fund was established with the support of members of the Music Venues Alliance and was primarily funded by donations from ticket sales of MVT’s recent Revive Live programme of gigs around the UK, which was a partnership with The National Lottery.

The Snug’s event manager Ben Morgan said: “As the only Grassroots Music Venue in a very deprived area away from the city centre, one that exclusively champions original music, we think it is very important that the young people in the area have a place where they can be heard and develop skills that they may take forward with them to larger city-centre venues.”

Ben turned to Music Venue Trust following the announcement of the charity’s new fund, a major new initative which provides grants of up to £5,000 for small music venues.

The applicants were invited to support two areas of work consisting of small scale capital projects along with staff and training.

The projects included lights, sounds, access and minor building alterations. Meanwhile workforce diversification, succession planning, skills development and strengthening local community ties made up the staff and training aspects.

The first music venues to benefit have received almost £40,000 in funding for a range oflighting, sound and associated equipment purchases and building work.

Mark Davyd, Founder and CEO of Music Venue Trust said: “The Pipeline Investment Fund is proof of what a huge difference relatively small amounts of money can make to local Grassroots Music Venues. Music Venue Trust is investing this money directly into facilities for artists and for local music communities improving venues for everyone.

"We’d like to see every stadium and arena show in the country making a small contribution to this fund. Every headline artist should be able to know with confidence that when they reach the top of our industry the impact of their success ripples back to directly support the venues and communities where the launched their career.”