Coronavirus: Darlington music venue calls for cash lifeline

The Forum in Darlington is one of many live venues which could struggle

Grassroots music venues are calling for £50m of emergency funding to help them to "hibernate" until autumn.

The Music Venue Trust said places like The Forum in Darlington would struggle to survive coronavirus restrictions without help.

Reopening with any social distancing in place would cost them nearly twice as much as if they stayed closed, it said.

The Forum's chief executive Allison McKay said: "I can't imagine any small venue will be able to survive.

"If social distancing means we can only have 20 people in here, how do we cover the cost of the band?" she said.

Pubs, restaurants and hotels are due to reopen on 4 July but singing and dancing are still deemed to be high risk activities, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Theatres and concert halls will not yet be able to host live performances.

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A £2.5m fund set up by the charity Help Musicians UK was running out of cash after just five days.

About a quarter of musicians are not covered by the government's scheme to support freelancers, and have no other source of income during the lockdown.

Darlington councillor Cyndi Hughes said "local communities need vibrant local music venues".

"I very much hope this government helps the Forum survive through to the autumn when gigs are likely to be able to start up again," she said.