Lancaster Music Co-op prepares £100k Arts Council bid to help overcome funding shortfall

A bid for a £100,000 Arts Council England grant is being prepared by Lancaster Music Co-op as it aims to get its fundraising push over the line in time to re-open later this year.

Members of the co-op team updated Lancaster and Wyre MP Cat Smith on their plans and the remaining shortfall when she visited the premises on Lodge Street last week.

The co-op has been homeless since 2018 when Lancaster City Council issued an eviction notice. It was eventually granted a long-term lease following a community campaign and support from city councillors.

Since then, the goal has been the re-opening of a new rehearsal facility, recording studio and music space.

But a comprehensive renovation was needed, including a new roof, to ensure the facility was safe and fit for purpose. The building had to be completely gutted, with the rehearsal rooms and studio ripped out.

Significant progress has since been on site funded by £1.2m from the government’s Community Ownership Fund, the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, Lancaster’s High Street Heritage Action Zone and the city council.

A community fundraising campaign has made further headway in raising the finance needed to finish the job, including kitting out the interior.

Generous contributions have been made via a Go Fund Me page, sales of co-op merch, a compilation by artists who have used the co-op down the years, and monthly music nights at The Pub.

There remains a £100,000 shortfall, however, prompting the Arts Council bid.

While the rehearsal rooms and recording studio have now been rebuilt, heating, air conditioning, a full electricity supply and lighting need to be installed, flooring put in, and the public areas and office completed.

Co-op director, Holly Blackwell, one half of local psych-punk legends The Lovely Eggs, was among those welcoming Cat Smith to the co-op site.

She said: “If we're successful with this Arts Council bid we can actually re-open to the community. It's been a long, hard slog to get us where we are now, but finally we can see light at the end of the tunnel.

“All our team of volunteers have been working really hard behind the scenes pulling out all the stops to get back re-open this year. Ducketts who are managing the refurbishment have been amazing - we just need the final bit of funding and we can crack on, get finished with these bits and re-open.

“The music co-op is so important to people round here. It's important that people of all backgrounds can be in bands and have access to affordable rehearsal and recording space.

‘’It's what got us started and it's important for us to pass on that opportunity and legacy to young people living round here. I am just chuffed that it feels like after all the campaigning and hard slog, we will soon finally have our co-op back and a place for alternative culture back within the city. "

Cat Smith MP said: “Lancaster Music Co-op is a brilliant example of our community’s creativity and inclusion.

“It’s a space where people of all ages and backgrounds can come together to make music, develop their talents, and support one another.

“Facilities like this don’t just nurture local artists, they strengthen our whole community and help put Lancaster’s vibrant music scene on the map. I’m proud to support the co-op and look forward to seeing them go from strength to strength.”