WEDNESDAY 25 JANUARY 2023 will mark the announcement of new plans and agreed location of Lewisham’s first ever community-owned live music venue: led by three remarkable young women who have spearheaded the massive campaign for their community (Lenny Watson, Sophie Farrell, Lottie Pendlebury [Goat Girl]), the venue will be self-titled ‘Sister Midnight’, and located in Catford Centre taking roots in the derelict former working men’s club, The Brookdale Club.
This news comes following Sister Midnight’s previous campaign to create Lewisham’s first community owned music venue back in 2021 when they were on a mission to buy the freehold of a disused local pub, the Ravensbourne Arms. Despite raising £260K through community investment and donations and garnering 800+ investors, the owners of the Ravensbourne Arms were unwilling to sell for a fair price, therefore Sister Midnight began sculpting a new plan that carefully acknowledged the current tumultuous economic environment.
In light of this, Sister Midnight have worked to secure a ‘meanwhile space’, of which 99%% of the original campaign contributors were keen to continue their support and chose to commit their investment to the new proposals.
Working alongside the Lewisham Council and with support from London’s Night Czar and City Hall’s Culture and Communities Spaces at Risk team, Sister Midnight finally found the perfect site.
London’s Night Czar, Amy Lamé, said:
“I’m absolutely thrilled that Sister Midnight has secured a location to create Lewisham’s first community-owned live music venue. I am proud that the Mayor’s team have worked alongside these remarkable women to drive forward their vision and I will continue to support them in creating this exciting new venue as we build a better London for everyone.”
Mayor of Lewisham, Damien Egan, said:
“I’m delighted we’ve helped Sister Midnight to secure this space and establish Lewisham’s first-ever community-owned live music venue – a fantastic legacy for our year as London Borough of Culture 2022. This will provide a valuable meanwhile use for the building which can be enjoyed by all the community, support our local arts and music scene and help grow our night time economy. I hope this will serve as an important stepping stone towards a permanent home for Sister Midnight.”
