'The government has hung us out to dry' - Sneaky Pete's nightclub launches £20k fundraiser for staff amid coronavirus trade slump

The Edinburgh nightclub and music venue has raised nearly £5,000.

Sneaky Pete's on the Cowgate.

Nightclub and music venue Sneaky Pete’s has launched a £20,000 fundraiser to support staff through the profit slump brought on by the coronavirus outbreak.

“We’ve been there for you and now we need you to be there for us,” the venue pleaded with customers.

Proceeds from the fundraiser, which has so far hit £4,600, will be first used to support staff, with some money also going towards the running costs of the venue.

“On Monday evening, The Prime Minister hung music venues and their staff out to dry,” the club announced in a Facebook post.

“He advised that pubs, clubs and theatres should no longer be visited. Instead of bringing in forced closures for venues, for which we may have been able to claim insurance, we are left with a moral duty to our customers but absolutely no government or insurance support if we do close.

“Like many venues we are effectively forced to stay open with no trade and a feeling of irresponsibility. It’s a Catch 22 situation of the UK Government’s making. No one can be held responsible for this epidemic but Government can certainly be judged on how they act.”

Organisers of the fundraiser cite work done in the past by Sneaky Pete’s to support other grassroots music venues and the Music Venue Trust.

They also remind customer of all the ‘good times’ they have enjoyed at the club.

“Now is the time to show to say thanks for those good times, whether that was shots at the bar, crowdsurfing at a punk gig, getting close to tears at an intimate show, dancing to techno and disco energy at club time, or even a kiss you had in the corner,” they say.

“We've been there for you and now we need you to be there for us.”

The Crowdfunder page can be found here.