A Falmouth music venue says it is struggling to survive because of reduced takings, rising costs and a lack of funding effecting the whole industry.

Since opening in 2020 The Cornish Bank in Church Street has hosted nearly 1,000 events including music festivals, band residencies, open mic nights, feasts, cèilidhs, queer nights, art exhibitions, folk sessions and lots and lots of gigs.

Owners Will Greenham and Rufus Maurice say they’ve only been able to achieve all of this, not only because of the “incredible” local community, but because of the team of people who work tirelessly to make all of this happen.

“The Cornish Bank are heavily affected by these issues and there are no margins left to cut so we need a supplementary source of income,” they said.

“With lots of requests from community groups asking to use our space, we currently can't support everyone we want. We want to be more versatile and have more space to house a community fridge, partnering with Falmouth Food Co-op CIC who will provide meals to support with the cost of living crisis. The space will also be used for charities' meetings and events to support our community.”

Following consultation with the Music Venues Trust (MVT), they’ve been advised to follow in the footsteps of other music venues around the country and create a secondary space.

They have now launched a Crowdfunder called “Crank The Cornish Bank” to enable them to do this. They plan to move the bar downstairs and building The Touc Inn, knocking out walls and doorways to have a separate entrance, creating an alternative setting from the event space, to have a drink and socialise in.

They will also build a new stage to give a platform to fledgling musicians, supporting them at the start of their career.

Upstairs will have increased capacity so more people can get into gigs.

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“We pledge to keep the upstairs space for community events during the weekdays – workshops, classes, meeting places, launches, clubs, school trips, parties and anything else you can think of!

“We want to continue to help improve mental health, support vulnerable people, back the creative industry, bolster local businesses and independent's skills, combat loneliness, help charities and other CIC's and improve the well-bring of Falmouth and beyond.”

You can donate to the Crowdfunder at www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/crank-the-cornish-bank where there are also rewards on offer including Crank The Bank event on June 29.