Mr Barber said: "Business has never been better. The diary's really strong and we're doing really well, but we have five and half years left on our lease and our landlord wants to retire.

"The only person who wants to buy a piece of land that big in the town centre is going to want to turn it into flats.

"Unfortunately, we face the real prospect of Bedford not having this venue within the next five years."

Through its Own Our Venues campaign, MVP allows music fans to donate money and become investors in venues around the UK.

In 2023 it raised £2.88m and secured the future of five venues, including Bunkhouse in Swansea, The Ferret in Preston and The Booking Hall in Dover.

As well as Esquires, their latest campaign has targeted The Sugarmill in Stoke-on-Trent and The Joiners in Southampton.

It is also looking to protect "key community hubs" such as The Croft in Bristol, Peggy's Skylight in Nottingham, The Lubber Fiend in Newcastle and The Pipeline in Brighton.

In a statement MVP said: "The aim is to provide long-term stability to venues that are essential for fostering local talent and providing cultural value to existing, local infrastructure."

Mr Barber added: "With MVP behind us we can continue to grow, with a solid foundation for our future."