Nottingham’s Peggy’s Skylight among venues included in new acquisition plans

London, May 15th, 2025 – Music Venue Properties (MVP), the pioneering Charitable Community Benefit Society created by Music Venue Trust (MVT), has announced the launch of the next phase of its groundbreaking ‘Own Our Venues’ project — a bold initiative to secure the future of a further seven iconic grassroots music venues (GMVs) across the UK through community ownership.

The Own Our Venues initiative focuses on removing grassroots music venues from vulnerable commercial leases by placing them into community ownership. The aim is to provide long-term stability to venues that are essential for fostering local talent and providing cultural value to existing, local infrastructure. Following the success of its first campaign in 2023, which raised £2.88 million and secured the future of venues including The Snug in Atherton, The Ferret in Preston, Le Pub in Newport, The Bunkhouse in Swansea and The Booking Hall in Dover, MVP is once again calling on music lovers and local communities to take action in order to protect vital cultural spaces.

The ‘cultural lease’ provides long-term security by offering stability that typical commercial leases, averaging just 18 months, cannot. These leases ensure fair, sustainable rent, annual contributions toward essential maintenance, and ongoing support in areas such as financial sustainability and operational best practice. This comprehensive support helps venues focus on their mission to bring music to their local communities while shielding them from the financial pressures of the commercial lease market.

MVP have now announced plans to acquire a further seven venues via a second community share offer, which will open on May 15th 2025 and close on 31st July 2025. This will focus on the purchase of longstanding, iconic music spaces such as Esquires in Bedford, The Sugarmill in Stoke-on-Trent & The Joiners in Southampton, alongside key community hubs such as The Croft in Bristol, Peggy’s Skylight in Nottingham, The Lubber Fiend in Newcastle and The Pipeline in Brighton.

Established in 2018, Peggy’s Skylight is an intimate Nottingham venue celebrated for its eclectic music programming spanning jazz, soul, blues, funk, hip-hop, and folk. Known for its welcoming atmosphere and high-quality sound, it hosts both local and international artists, alongside community-focused events like jam sessions and open mics. With a dining experience inspired by Nottingham’s cultural diversity, Peggy’s has become a standout destination for music and food lovers, firmly rooted in the city’s cultural landscape.

Paul Deats, the director of Peggy’s Skylight, said

“Our building is being sold by current owners Nottingham City Council, with an unknown future if bought by a competitor or other body. Since NCC’s announcement of intention to sell back in Nov ’22, Peggy’s has faced an uncertain future, causing ourselves and many of our supporters’ great anxiety. Music Venue Trust helped us hugely throughout the Covid pandemic and beyond, so we have full trust in sister company MVP to purchase our building and to be our new landlord.”

More information and other supporting documents are available on the Music Venue Properties
website: www.musicvenueproperties.com

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