The Know Daily - Tuesday 4th April 2023

_{Read in 5m 38s ∙ Listening to Olivia Dean}

The Music Venue Trust (MVT) has confirmed that fundraising for its Own Our Venues campaign - a pioneering initiative enabling the UK’s live music community to own grassroots gig venues - has been a success. The campaign launched in May 2022 in response to the statistic that 35% of grassroots music venues have closed in the past 20 years. Since then, 1,261 donors have contributed nearly £2.4 million, and the MVT has confirmed its intention to move ahead with the purchase of its first venues. “In the face of extraordinary times for the economy and the political life of the nation, this is a remarkable achievement,” said an MVT spokesperson.

 💧 Wiped out

Almost all wet wipes will be banned in England under new plans to tackle water pollution. The ban should come into force in 2024 following a short public consultation, environment minister Thérèse Coffey told the BBC.

What’s so bad about wet wipes?
Around 90% of wet wipes contain plastics, which do not break down over time. They also cause 93% of sewer blockages - including so-called “fatbergs” - and cost around £100 million a year to clean up, according to Water UK.

Last June, an “island” of discarded wet wipes spanning the size of two tennis courts formed on the banks of the River Thames in west London. At the time, Thames Water’s operations manager Anna Boyles warned that while wet wipes are convenient, they take centuries to biodegrade. “It’s like flushing a plastic bag down the loo,” she said.

What other measures will the government implement?
The government has introduced an integrated Plan for Water, which also includes potential restrictions on PFAS (so-called “forever chemicals”) in firefighting foam, cleaning products and paints.

Water companies could also face unlimited penalties for dumping sewage, with the money reinvested into a new Water Restoration Fund to help clean up waterways. Official figures show there were an average of 825 sewage spills into England’s waterways per day in the last year.

How have the plans been received?
Green Party co-leader Adrian Ramsay said the actions have come “too little too late” and has called for water supply to be brought back into public ownership. Labour’s shadow environment secretary Jim McMahon dismissed the announcement as “nothing more than a shuffling of the deck chairs”.

Some companies have already introduced their own wet wipe bans - an idea which has been explored by the government since 2018. Boots, for example, only sells biodegradable, plant-based alternatives while Aldi has committed to only selling plastic-free wipes.

Want to have your say on the plans? Respond to the public consultation by 4 May 2023.

🎭 Rowdy theatregoers in the spotlight

A new survey has revealed that 45% of UK theatre staff have considered quitting their jobs because of antisocial behaviour by drunken audience members.

What did the survey find?
Of the 1,500 theatre workers surveyed by Bectu (the Broadcasting, Entertainment, Cinematograph and Theatre Union), nearly 90% said they had experienced or witnessed bad audience behaviour. Almost 20% of respondents said they had feared for their safety at least once, and the report detailed several incidents of assault and harassment by patrons. “We had to introduce a code word to be used in radio communications as we felt so unsafe,” said one worker.

In January, a performance of Jersey Boys at the Edinburgh Playhouse was stopped after a fight broke out on the balcony. And just last week, a performance of Bat Out of Hell in London’s West End was halted for several minutes due to a disruptive audience member.

Why is bad behaviour on the rise?
More than 70% of the respondents said they thought the issue had worsened since the Covid pandemic. “I don’t know if it is post-pandemic rage but it does seem that people have forgotten how to be nice and respectful when people are at work,” Bectu head Phillipa Childs told The Guardian.

Does alcohol play a part in this?
It seems so. 90% of respondents felt that people turning up to shows drunk was contributing to a decline in audience behaviour. “Because the price of drinks is high, people tend to come preloaded or smuggle things in,” said one theatre worker.

In February, The Stage reported that the marketing of popular musicals was to be “tempered down” to avoid phrases such as “best party in town”. But this latest survey indicates that poor audience behaviour spans all genres, including opera and ballet.

What next?
Bectu is calling for venues across the UK to sign up to a Safer Theatres Charter, which calls on management companies to do more to provide a “safe environment” for theatregoers and workers.

🌙 Moon mission: US space agency Nasa has announced that, for the first time, a woman and a black man will take part in an upcoming mission to the moon - previously only white men have been assigned to lunar exploration efforts.

🫶 Menopause treatment: In a world first, women going through the menopause could soon be treated with testosterone patches - and the UK researchers behind them say their potential to improve lives and sex drives is “huge”.

✈️ Airport advances: Travellers who fly from London City Airport no longer need to keep to the 100ml liquid limit or put their toiletries in clear bags thanks to the airport’s new high-tech scanners.

🌍 Fertility struggles: A new study by the World Health Organisation (WHO) has found that one in six people worldwide is affected by infertility, with the rates comparable for high-, middle- and low-income countries.

🇮🇷 Iran protests: Protesters in Iran are marking 200 days of demonstrations against the state’s mandatory headscarf rule, sparked by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in state custody last September. As we continue to feel in awe of the brave people of Iran who are risking their lives to demand their rights, we are thrilled to announce that the Iranian-American actress and activist Nasim Pedrad is going to guest-edit our newsletter later this month. She’ll be diving deeper into Iran’s history and detailing ways for people to take action - keep your eyes peeled!

Trivia answer: A) Hartsfield–Jackson International Airport in Atlanta welcomed more than 75 million passengers in 2021, according to the organisation Airports Council International.

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