A Scunthorpe community group has taken a step closer to saving the former Lincoln Imp pub. Their aim is to restore the popular, derelict building to its former glory by turning it into a venue for live music and entertainment.

A live music event organised by local band Ace of Kings, Long Live The Imp, will take place today (Saturday 13th April) from 12:30pm at the Attis Arena (formerly Glanford Park) ahead of Scunthorpe United FC’s match against Blyth Spartans.

There, residents are being asked to sign a petition as part of a public consultation to save the former pub on Gloucester Avenue and transform it into a venue for live music and entertainment. The venue has been vacant since August 2022.

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As previously reported, the Lincoln Imp building was saved from demolition in November last year after North Lincolnshire Council’s planning committee rejected plans to demolish the “community asset” building to make way for new housing following a public outcry.

The decision came after former staff and patrons of the pub publicly declared what the venue meant to them. Former employee Chantelle Middleton told Scunthorpe Live: “It was the only place where people of all backgrounds who were different or just dressed differently felt accepted. I certainly did.”

Former landlady Lorraine Briggs, who ran the Lincoln Imp from 2014 until it closed and leads the group Long Live The Imp, said last year that she still receives emails from bands from all over the world asking to play at the venue. In 2017, it was rated the third best small music venue in the UK.

Iron Trust chairman Cllr Tony Gosling is also a member of the Long Live The Imp group. He said: “Please show your support for saving the Imp by signing the petition which will be available at the turnstiles before the game. We will also have the petition available for signature in the Trust corner.”

The public petition can be signed from 12.30pm on Saturday 13 April during Ace of Kings live music event outside the Attis Arena in Scunthorpe.