Jamming Station launches £50k appeal for youth lifeline

There are places where music doesn’t just happen; it happens where people find their footing. In Totnes, Devon, that space is the Jamming Station, a venue that has long served as more than just a building—it’s a lifeline for young musicians and a true hub for creativity.

Now, the station is launching a massive £50,000 appeal, not just for renovations, but for a complete transformation. The goal is to evolve the venue into a fully equipped youth centre, featuring sensory spaces, an employability café, and dedicated training facilities. It’s an opportunity to build an environment where young people can truly thrive.

The venue, known locally as the Town Mill, has already carved out a unique niche as a blend of youth club, rehearsal room, and training ground for the music industry. This mission is deeply rooted in the experience of those who have passed through its doors. As co-director Jacqui Perks puts it, the Jamming Station provides an essential sanctuary. “For many of our young people, this is the place where they finally find their tribe,” she explains. “They come out of school carrying all that pressure and enter an environment where they can unwind among other young musicians who see them, understand them, and accept them.”

Perks’ philosophy extends beyond entertainment; it frames music as a vital life skill. “In a band, everybody has a part to play. You have to listen to each other and keep going when something doesn’t work. Those are music skills, but they’re also life skills,” she notes. This focus on collaboration and resilience is exactly what the new facilities aim to foster.

The story of the Jamming Station is one of relentless drive. It began in 2012 when Jacqui Perks and fellow musicians started a unique, hands-on approach: loading amps into cars each week because their children had nowhere to play. That simple act of creation sparked a community that has grown into an international force.

The impact of this environment is evident in the careers it inspires. Former Jamming Station student Izzi Warburton has gone on to tour internationally as a session musician, working with giants like Primal Scream and Kula Shaker. Warburton credits the station with providing the platform that allowed him to tour the world and work in various UK studios.

This need for supportive infrastructure is now echoed across the wider industry. The struggle facing grassroots music venues is stark. Recent reports from The Music Venue Trust reveal that between July 2024 and July 2025, thirty grassroots venues closed forever, and forty-eight stopped operating as gig spaces. This decline has resulted in an average profit margin of just 2.5 per cent, meaning a staggering 53.8 per cent of these venues reported no profit in the last year, contributing to a loss of over 6,000 jobs across the sector.

This financial pressure has led to calls for systemic change. Efforts like the UK tour ticket contributions, fueled by artists such as Pulp and Mumford & Sons, have raised significant funds, demonstrating the public desire to protect the live music scene. Furthermore, high-profile figures, including Coldplay, Sam Fender, and Katy Perry, have committed to supporting grassroots venues by donating portions of their tour revenues to initiatives like the Music Venue Trust.

The battle for the future of music spaces is clearly underway. By investing in places like the Jamming Station, the hope is that these hubs can secure not only a future for young artists but also ensure that the vital, educational, and connective role of music remains a cornerstone of the community.

The fight for these venues and artists is a collective one, demanding that we recognize music not as a luxury, but as a fundamental part of society.