A local charity is set to open a new music venue on Little Clarendon Street, aiming to create an inclusive space for women, transgender and non-binary people.
YWMP is a grassroots organisation that was set up 25 years ago, though its project on Little Clarendon will be the first physical hub for the Oxford-based group. The charity focuses on working with those aged 14-25, and the venue on Little Clarendon Street aims to help fill the gaps in spaces for young people in the city.
The founder of the charity, Zahra Haji Fath Ali Tehrani, told Cherwell that “there is a tiny youth provision in Oxford. Youth clubs have been shut down and there aren’t really spaces for young people to hang out, especially those who are most marginalised in the community.”
One of the inspirations behind the project is to contribute to a healthier gig culture in Oxford, as according to the charity it is not currently centred in safety. The founder of YWMP explained to Cherwell that the culture of live music is “one of the main reasons why we are trying to push for this. We want to disrupt how gig-going culture is so that most people feel they can show up and be supported when they see their favourite musicians play.”
The venue will be on Little Clarendon Street, next to Common Ground Café, a social coworking space and community arts hub. Cherwell has previously reported on the University of Oxford’s annexing of Common Ground for its redevelopment plans of Wellington Square buildings. The University plans to transform the “life-expired and poor performing” building that houses Common Ground into a state-of-the-art academic facility.
Costs for the venue have been covered for the first three years by Youth Music, a national charity that has provided financial support to music-based projects since 2009. YWMP’s founder told Cherwell that “Little Clarendon is not a choice, as we would never choose to be in North Oxford as it is a very wealthy area. We are very grateful this opportunity has come up, but it is not a choice. We don’t know how we are going to sustain this, with the pressure of the space potentially being knocked down, but our lease is until December 2026.”
However, they described the opportunity to run the venue as a stepping stone to learn how to run their own space. “We are not going to stop here, and we hope that it just brings people together,” they remarked. The founder of YWMP explained that they hope to have an impact on the rest of the wider Oxford music scene, and want to encourage other venues to work harder to be more inclusive.
The venue is set to open in July 2025.
