Leadmill bosses appeal for funds for new home after losing eviction battle
Leadmill bosses are appealing for donations to secure a new home in Sheffield.
The business has announced a £30,000 crowdfunding campaign to pay for the “deposit, fit-out and long-term security of a new venue.”
The Leadmill Ltd, led by director Phil Mills, was evicted from its former base on Leadmill Road in August last year.
It followed a three-year battle with Electric Group, which bought the building in 2017 and is set to open ‘Electric Studios’ in spring.
The Leadmill has been running nights at venues across Sheffield since its eviction.
Now it hopes to receive financial help from fans to find a permanent home.
A spokesperson for The Leadmill said: “This isn’t about starting over - it’s about continuing something that Sheffield helped build.
“The address may change, but the purpose stays the same: bringing people together through culture, music and creativity.”
It operates as an independent, privately-run company and does not benefit from public grants or subsidised tax structures, they added.
The Leadmill began in 1980 when volunteers led by John Redfearn and Chris Andrews spent months cleaning up a former warehouse to stage events.
In the early days it had a theatre company, dance company, cabaret, cafe and women-only performance night.
Starting out as a co-operative, it later became a charity and then, in 1994, a private company called The Leadmill Ltd.
By the 2020s the venue was hosting 400 events a year – bands, comedy, drag and club nights, workshops and talks – and welcoming up to 1,100 revellers a night - 100,000 people-a-year.
It helped launch countless acts towards stardom, perhaps most famously Pulp.
Homegrown performers Richard Hawley and the Arctic Monkeys also credit the club as a key part of their early careers.
The crowdfunding campaign is here: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/the-leadmill-relocation-fund