Sunderland venue Independent set to reopen following lockdown

Sunderland music venue and club Independent will officially reopen this weekend following lockdown.
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The Holmeside venue will welcome back customers from 10.30pm to 4am on Friday, September 11, following months of closure during the coronavirus lockdown.

Owner Ben Wall said he wants Independent to be the ‘most Covid-19 compliant’ venue in the city and has introduced a number of safety measures.

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“Our aim is to be the most Covid-19 compliant venue as well as some where that people want to come and stay,” he said.

Independent is set to open for the first time since lockdownIndependent is set to open for the first time since lockdown
Independent is set to open for the first time since lockdown

"We are quite confident that we have complied with everything that we need to when we reopen.

"But if we need to shut down we will shut down, public health is more important.”

It comes after Sunderland City Council urged Sunderland business owners and pub goers to act responsibly following a number of Covid-19 cases linked to venues across the city.

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Council bosses warned business owners to make sure they have social distancing, hand washing and cleaning regimes in place as well as complying with test and trace requirements so that customers can be contacted if there is an outbreak.

Independent in Holmeside, Sunderland. Independent in Holmeside, Sunderland.
Independent in Holmeside, Sunderland.
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Independent – which will also be open on Saturday, September 12 – has confirmed it will be following Government safety guidelines.

The venue will be reducing its capacity from 610 to 100 at any one time and the dance floor has been converted in to a large seating area, with new booths, tables and chairs spaced out across the venue to adhere to social distancing.

There will be table service in place and customers can order drinks online from their seats.

Ben Wall from Independent.Ben Wall from Independent.
Ben Wall from Independent.
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The venue is not taking bookings but will be managing the queue outside and providing updates on queue numbers via its Facebook page.

DJ Wiffin will be performing on Friday, with live music set to return in October.

A number of staff lost their jobs when the venue closed during lockdown but owner Ben Wall has said all have been offered their jobs back.

Ben added: “We will have social media management of the queue so I’d ask people to keep an eye on Facebook for queue numbers.”

You Cant Keep A Good Sesh Down signage at the IndependentYou Cant Keep A Good Sesh Down signage at the Independent
You Cant Keep A Good Sesh Down signage at the Independent

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