The future of a Welsh grassroots music venue has been secured after a UK charity bought the building. Music Venue Trust, which represents hundreds of grassroots music venues, has announced its first acquisition under its #ownourvenues scheme. It has purchased The Bunkhouse in Swansea city centre, a 235 capacity live music venue, rehearsal space and photography studio, will now be placed into permanent protected status.
The scheme was originally launched in 2022 as a crowdfunded project , and to date, almost £2.6m has been raised from over 1,250 individual investors and funding, along with support from Swansea Council and Figurative. The Bunkhouse’s operators have now signed a ‘cultural lease’ with Music Venue Properties (MVP), which is an agreement specifically created to guarantee that, as long as The Bunkhouse operates as a space for grassroots live music for their local community, they can enjoy the use of the building.
For the latest Swansea news, sign up to our newsletter here . READ MORE: Welsh music venues to be bought by fans to protect them 'forever' READ MORE: The valleys pubs with the best beer gardens to chill out in on a sunny day Director of The Bunkhouse, Jordan McGuire said: "The last few years have been a rollercoaster for The Bunkhouse and the music community in south west Wales. When the building went on the market, the threat of closure was very real, and it wasn’t just about potentially losing my business, it was about losing a home for the music.