A MUCH-LOVED York venue has received a chunk of cash to help with new furniture.

The Crescent Community Venue off Blossom Street has been awarded a grant from the Music Venue Trust’s (MVT) Pipeline Investment Fund which provides grants of up to £5,000 for UK Grassroots Music Venues. The Crescent received £4,569 from MVT’s Pipeline Investment Fund to pay for new seating.

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A representative of The Crescent Community Venue said: “This grant was desperately needed to help us purchase a new set of chairs for seated shows. Our previous chairs were inherited from the Working Mens Club when we took it over; and whilst they have served us well, they are sadly falling apart with bent legs and cushions falling off.

"New chairs are going to make it more comfortable for audience members, as well as make it easier and safer for staff to set up and pack them away. At a time when music venues are facing significant financial challenges, this money is very welcome.

"A new set of chairs runs into thousands of pounds which is simply something The Crescent can't afford to purchase by itself without assistance. We are truly thankful for MVT's ongoing support to the sector, as well as our customers who keep buying tickets for shows; we couldn't do this without you.”

The Pipeline Investment Fund, established in 2022, is primarily funded by ticket sales of MVT’s recent ‘Revive Live’ programme of gigs around the UK, a hugely successful partnership with The National Lottery.

To date £165,000 worth of grants have been awarded to 38 Grassroots Music Venues since December.

This fourth round of payments sees a total sum of £97,516.97 awarded to a further 23 GMVs across the country.

Mark Davyd, CEO of Music Venue Trust said: “This fourth round of the Pipeline Investment Fund once again demonstrates how much difference small amounts of money, wisely invested, can make for Grassroots Music Venues.

"With grassroots music venues facing extraordinary challenges right now, Music Venue Trust is determined to keep pressing the music industry and government to support this fund and ensure music communities right across the country can continue to access the very best in live music.”

The fund prioritises support for organisations who may have been excluded from other available funding and was open to all venue operators and organisations that meet any of the three definitions of a Grassroots Music Space, which can be found here.

Music Venue Trust is still actively seeking further donations, particularly from the wider music industry, to maintain and expand the Pipeline Investment Fund and make it a permanent source of support for Grassroots Music Venues. Please contact ozlem@musicvenuetrust.com for details of how this work can be supported.