The future of a decades-old music venue in Stoke-on-Trent could be secured in a major acquisition plan as part of ongoing efforts to support grassroots music venues in the UK.

The Sugarmill in Hanley is included in Music Venue Properties' "Own Our Venues" purchasing plan along with six other music venues across the country. 

The initiative is relying on crowdfunding investment to secure the seven buildings, including The Sugarmill, and anyone can invest.

Under the plans, Music Venue Properties, created by the Music Venue Trust, would purchase The Sugarmill building and transfer ownership of the venue to a landlord "dedicated to their preservation".

A similar effort by Music Venue Properties (MVP) started in 2023, raised £2.88 million and brought five venues under "community ownership" - which aims to shield them from the financial pressures of the commercial lease market.

MVP says the scheme provides a "cultural lease" with "sustainable rent and annual contributions toward essential maintenance".

The Sugarmill's director, Phil Archer-Jones said "The Sugarmill has been an integral part of Stoke-on-Trent's cultural offering for the last 30 years. 

"They say 'time stands still for no man' and so it's time for us to be able to start to plan for the next 30 years and beyond. 

The Sugarmill opened in 1994. (Nub News)

"We want to work with MVP to make sure that The Sugarmill maintains its vitally important place on the UK's grassroots circuit. 

"It's time to look at new business arrangements and funding models to ensure the venue survives as a resource for the whole city to utilise and to be proud of for years to come.''

The Sugarmill on Brunswick Street, in Hanley, opened in 1994 and has hosted hundreds of bands who have gone on to national and international success such as Coldplay, Muse, Elbow, Daft Punk, Stereophonics, The 1975 and The Libertines just to name a few.

Coldplay's manager, Phil Harvey said: "Without grassroots UK music venue like the Joiners, Esquires and the Sugarmill there'd be no Coldplay.

"These buildings gave us a chance to get onstage and learn our craft when no-one had ever heard of us."

The Music Venue Trust has long been calling for stronger action to protect small music venues in the UK - which have been under threat due to rising energy bills, rent and the rise of arena and stadium tour ticket prices. 

The trust has previously called for a £1 levy to be legislated on arena and stadium live music tickets to support grassroots music venues. 

The first Own Our Venues campaign launched in 2023 and secured the future of The Snug in Atherton, The Ferret in Preston, Le Pub in Newport, The Bunkhouse in Swansea and later The Booking Hall in Dover. 

Matthew Otridge, chief operating officer of MVP said, "The key threat to the grassroots music venue (GMV) sector has always been that of property ownership. 

The Sugarmill has hosted many artists and bands who have gone on to international success. (The Sugarmill)

"Over 90% of GMVs are tenants and are often in a vulnerable position when they and their landlords do not share the same goals. 

"It's a bleak statistic but 35% of venues have closed in the last 20 years and in 2024 another 86 either closed or no longer operated as GMVs. 

"We are standing at a crossroads but there is a solution, and people can help us to put in place real, sustainable solutions. 

"Music Venue Properties has shown in just three years that community ownership can secure and preserve venues permanently, and this success has led us to identify new opportunities to purchase some of the UK's best loved, longest-running venues and to launch our second share offer to secure these key cultural spaces."

The six other venues included in the current round of Own Our Venues are: Esquires in Bedford, The Joiners in Southampton, Peggy's Skylight in Nottingham, The Croft in Bristol, The Lubber Fiend in Newcastle and The Pipeline in Brighton.

You can invest and view the crowdfunding page here.

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