09 November 2025
Newsdesk
Music Venue Properties (MVP), the charitable Community Benefit Society affectionately dubbed "The National Trust for Grassroots Music Venues," has successfully purchased two legendary UK venues: The Joiners in Southampton and The Croft in Bristol. This landmark achievement, secured under MVP’s Own Our Venues initiative with crucial support from Arts Council England, ensures that both venues now have permanent protected status.
The two venues are steeped in musical history, having hosted early career performances from international heavyweights including Arctic Monkeys, Ed Sheeran, Coldplay, Oasis, IDLES, and Wet Leg.
Community Ownership Secures Legacy
The core mission of the Own Our Venues campaign is to remove beloved music venues from precarious commercial leases by purchasing the freehold and placing them into permanent community ownership.
Venue operator Ricky Bates celebrated the news, stating, “As one of the most important live music venues ever to exist in the UK this is a win for all independent live music across the globe—with this now in place we will be here for another sixty years and potentially FOREVER!”
Since its launch in 2022, the campaign has raised almost £4 million, bolstered by over 2,000 music fans who have bought shares. This community funding, combined with a crucial £500,000 grant from Arts Council England, was instrumental in securing the two venues.
A Growing Portfolio and Urgent Call
The Joiners and The Croft join a growing portfolio of venues now safeguarded by MVP, including The Ferret in Preston and Le Pub in Newport.
Singer-songwriter Frank Turner, who grew up playing at The Joiners, stressed the venue’s importance: “I simply would not be doing what I do today without that space, and spaces like it.” Similarly, IDLES frontman Joe Talbot called the acquisition of The Croft “a dream to have an institution of creative and social combustion be taken back by the community!”
MVP COO Matt Otridge hailed the purchases as a "historic milestone," confirming seven venues are now permanently protected. However, he noted that the work continues, with the current phase of the campaign needing a final push to reach its target for seven more venues. The campaign closes on November 14, 2025, and fans are urged to invest to secure more vital cultural hubs.
