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We bought the Millennium building on Union Street in September 2020. This building has been standing empty for 15 years. It holds really special memories for lots of people. Built in 1931 as The Gaumont Palace it’s been a dance hall, roller disco and much loved nightclub.

White star with eight points on a black background
A woman wearing glasses and a colorful floral shirt with blue pants, smiling and standing against a vibrant graffiti wall.

‘We bought the building because it is too important to our community to be standing empty. Taking on a major building on the street was always part of our plan, it’s taken a long time with lots of twists and turns. We are nervous and excited about giving this building a nudge!’

Hannah, Nudge Co-Director 

A woman with blonde hair wearing a blue and white striped shirt and a badge that says "Nudge" stands in front of a colorful, graffiti-style mural.

‘As local residents we now really understand what it takes to get some of these tricky buildings into use. Our community are at the heart of everything we do and their support and skills have got us to where we are now. We can’t do it on our own, collaboration and creativity is key to getting this building contributing back to our economy and community.’ 

Wendy, Nudge Co-Director 

Interior of a theater under renovation, with exposed walls, construction materials, and empty stage area.

We were able to buy the building with the support of The Rank Foundation and Power to Change. Both funders have been supporting social enterprises and community businesses to thrive in the city thanks to the ongoing work of Plymouth Social Enterprise Network. Buying a large scale building at that point might have seemed strange, but we have been working towards this for several years. 

The building is opposite the Council led development on Bath Street and we look forward to this building connecting our local community to that investment and contributing to the city vision for the area.

We quickly made it safe to open up for people to have a look around. We will now test out what could work, experiment to see if there’s still a gap in the market for a medium sized venue, and build up to investing in what is needed to get the building back into long term sustainable use. 

Watch a film about it here  - Nudge News - Millennium

We aim to create an exceptional venue for music and other cultural activities, supported by day time uses that contribute to the local economy and community.

We have started to test this out by enabling local bands to film their music videos in the building including The Native, and hosting an event in partnership with the University of Plymouth.

Check out our little Millennium Manifesto that got us started.

Filming scene with musicians playing electric guitars on a stage with purple lighting, while a man with a camera films from the right.