Relief as at-risk Sheffield venue is removed from 'red list' after fans raise over £40,000: 'Thank you from the very bottom of our hearts'

Dryad Works, in Parkwood Springs, has become a major part of the city’s independent and DIY music scene since it launched in 2019, but consecutive lockdowns left it with a lack of income that, coupled with ongoing cost of overheads, meant it faced permanent closure.

Last year the Music Venue Trust, which represents hundreds of grassroots music venues in the UK and has been running a successful campaign called #saveourvenues, added Dryad Works to its red list, part of the charity’s ‘traffic light’ initiative focused on saving 30 places deemed ineligible to receive funding from the Government’s Culture Recovery Fund.

Through a crowdfunding appeal, supporters have so far helped to raise more than £40,000 for Dryad Works, leading to its removal from the register of venues in imminent danger of permanent closure.

Joe Taylor, who runs the site, said: “Over the last year it's been a very long and emotional journey for everyone involved with the venue but the support and commitment we've had from the local community, Sheffield City Council and the wider UK music community is without a doubt the most amazing and inspiring thing we have ever witnessed.

"Without that support, our story today would not be one of survival. We thank you from the very bottom of our hearts and hope to continue a bright and secure future at our 'home on the hill' in Parkwood Springs for many more years to come.”

The complex features 15 creative workspaces that range from fully kitted out music studios to areas containing large sound systems. The team is also moving into film, photography and digital media.

Mark Davyd, CEO of the Music Venue Trust, said the organisation was ‘determined to ensure that at the end of this crisis we reopen every venue safely’.

"We believe it can be done,” he added.

Eighteen venues remain on the red list, including Boom in Leeds, Beehive Jazz in Hull and Manchester’s Stage and Radio.

In these confusing and worrying times, local journalism is more vital than ever. Thanks to everyone who helps us ask the questions that matter by taking out a digital subscription or buying a paper. We stand together. Nancy Fielder, editor.