A Bradford bar has been saved from closure at the eleventh hour.
Sally Brown’s, a ska and northern soul music venue on North Parade, said a last-minute crowd funder and farewell event had received a huge backing from music lovers.
Just 10 days ago, bar owner Steve Davis announced the bar’s closure with “immediate effect”.
Among the reasons for its closure were Covid-19, limited “opportunities” with Bradford’s night economy, “extortionate” business rates and competition from other businesses.
It sparked an outpouring of support from customers – leading to over £1,600 being raised so far.
Read more: 'It's warm, wonderful and I've never felt unsafe here': Bid to improve Bradford at night
'Use us or lose us'
Revealing the exciting announcement, Mr Davis said: “We are pleased to announce that for now, we are able to remain open.
“Your generous donations and kind hearted messages have really given us the fuel we needed to keep the fire burning.
“We’re not out of the woods yet, we need continued support to secure our future.
“There are so many ways you can support us at Sally Brown’s, by visiting us, sharing our posts, telling your friends, and anything in-between.
“We are literally at the stage of ‘use us or lose us’, forgive the expression.
“The money that we’ve raised via the Crowd Funder and last weekend’s ‘Final Skank’ has meant that we are now in a position to action one of our plans. This will enable us to increase our opening hours and become a more sustainable business.
“Not to give too much information away, we will planning a spectacular launch night of the new ‘division’ of Sally Brown’s…More details to follow.
“We’d also like to thank our friends at Music Venue Trust, Jay and Sophie have been invaluable giving us supportive expert advice and helping us make some tough decisions.”
The bar’s farewell event attracted record numbers to the music venue.
DJs and staff all worked for free in a final bid to stop Sally Brown’s closure.
Describing his vision in the crowd funder, Mr Davis said: “Sally Brown's was created through a love of music. Our dream is to promote, encourage and foster new music and original artists a grass roots venue.
“We hope to offer a platform for talented musicians to gain recognition so that one day we can say 'we had the next Beatles' play at our venue when they were just starting out.”
The bar has brought people from across the UK to Bradford since opening almost a year ago.
Some loyal fans have even travelled from Wales and Scotland to watch his bookings play.
To donate to the fundraiser visit www.gofundme.com/f/save-sally-browns
Have you got a story for us? Email newsdesk@telegraphandargus.co.uk or contact us here.
Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to keep up with all the latest news.
Sign up to our newsletter to get updates sent straight to your inbox.
You can also call us on 01274 705292.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel