A music venue has received a £3,000 grant from Wiltshire Council’s area board to help mount the second Future Sound of Trowbridge project.

The Pump Trowbridge CIC, aka The Village Pump, heard on January 18 that its grant application to the council’s Trowbridge Area Board has been successful.

The total sum awarded will be spent on music venue technical upgrades and the delivery of the second Future Sound of Trowbridge project.

This means that The Future Sound of Trowbridge returns in 2024 after a successful trial last year, says Kieran Moore, the manager of The Pump.

He added: “After a successful trial in 2023 the youth-focused project successfully delivered four events at The Pump in Trowbridge.

“The 2024 edition raises the number of events from four to six and will deliver a wider range of support to youths in the Trowbridge area.

“With this funding, The Pump will be able to invest in the skill and passion of local people with paid opportunities, anchored around an established community with a shared love for live music.

“So far, The Pump has been able to sign up prospective lighting engineer Archie McNamara, a budding photographer and videographer Kiesha O’Hagan and sound engineers Megan Taylor-McCaffery and Lydia Uygac.

“We are still looking for prospective graphic designers / illustrators to design posters and crucially, musicians.

“There is no limit to the style, genre or ability; what is key is a desire to get out of bedrooms and be involved in making Trowbridge a vibrant, connected and exiting place to live, as well as express your music in a professional setting.”

The six dates for The Future Sound of Trowbridge #2 are Friday, February 9; Saturday, March 2; Friday, March 30; Saturday, April 20; Saturday, May 11 and Saturday, June 1.

These will all be held at the historic Village Pump venue, situated behind The Lamb public house in Mortimer Street, Trowbridge.

Mr Moore added: “We have already completed the line-up for the first two events, which include The Sunnies, Ignotis, Cult Python, Sebastian & Me, Ollie Sharp and Nobody’s Dad.”

The Pump originally opened as The Village Pump folk club in November 1970 with Pat Drinkwater at the helm and has since evolved into one of Trowbridge's leading venues for musicians.

For more details, click here.

For anybody interested in performing or developing their skills, email thepumptrowbridge@gmail.com