Loss of town nightlife 'denying the next generation'

An 18-year-old says he and his friends will have nowhere to go out locally now the last remaining nightclub in a county town is set to close.

Zinc in Trowbridge, Wiltshire, is set to shut its doors for the last time on Saturday because it is "no longer commercially viable", the management says.

Teenager Ayden Strawson said he would be giving the venue a "send off", adding he wished there were "more things" for young people to do in the town.

The Night Time Industries Association (NTIA) recently reported a 35% decline in nightclubs since 2020. Chief executive Michael Kill said if the rate continued, "we will be "denying the next generation" spaces for "music, creativity and social connection".

Strawson, who only recently turned 18, said: "I must have been to Zinc eight or nine times. The last pub closes at like 12 or one, so it kind of makes the night end early.

"I wish there were more things in Trowbridge for us young people to do."

Strawson also said Zinc's closure meant he and his friends would have to go further afield for a much more "expensive" night out:

"Getting down to Bath or Bristol takes more planning, it would probably take at least half an hour, 45 minutes, to get to Bristol.

"The trains aren't always running and the last train leaves Bath at 12 at night so you'd have to get an uber back home, which makes it so much more expensive.

"We'll be going on Saturday - we've got to give it that send off haven't we," he added.

Neighbouring town Chippenham also closed its last dedicated nightclub about 18 months ago.

E11evn at The Bridge shut its doors for the final time in February 2025, with the owners citing "rising operational costs" and a decline in the success of the industry.

According to the NTIA, late-night venues fell by 4.1% in 2025 and more than 75,000 jobs in the sector were lost across 2024–25.

The NTIA also warned there would be no clubs left at all in the UK by 2030 if venue closures continued at the current rate.

Kill said: "Hearing 18-year-olds say there is simply nowhere left to go locally should concern us all.

"If we continue to lose these grassroots venues, we risk eroding the social and cultural fabric of communities across the country, while denying the next generation the spaces that have inspired music, creativity and social connection for decades."

A Zinc spokesperson said: "After careful consideration, and despite our best efforts, the site is no longer commercially viable and we have taken the difficult decision to close.

"We would like to thank our hard-working team for their commitment and dedication.

"We would also like to thank our guests and the local community for their support over the years."

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