BROOKLANDS GIVEN £950K LIFELINE
Brooklands Museum, home to Porsche Club GB’S fantastic fiftieth anniversary bash for the 914 in 2019, has been awarded a £950,000 lifeline as part of the British Government’s £1.57bn Culture Recovery Fund (CRF), the Culture Secretary has announced. The Museum is one of 1,385 creative organisations across the UK receiving urgent support. Further rounds of funding in the cultural and heritage sector are due to be announced over the coming weeks.
Based on the site of the world’s first purpose-built motor racing circuit and the most prolific aircraft manufacturing site in Europe, Brooklands showcases an incredible collection of cars, planes and historic buildings, with an 800-strong workforce of dedicated volunteers serving as its backbone. Like many museums across the world, however, the Weybridge site continues to face financial challenges as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The next six months will be exceptionally difficult — Brooklands faces its usual tough winter season, but with the added uncertainty of lockdown restrictions. The funding has been awarded in order to cover projected losses until spring 2021, as well as an injection of cash to cover running costs for up to eight weeks.
“We’re absolutely thrilled to receive this funding,” beamed Brooklands CEO, Tamalie Newbery. “Brooklands is an award-winning museum and can now remain open to visitors. We can also carry on our valuable work preserving the Brooklands site and its collection. As an independent charity, income from visitors has always been our main source of funds, meaning lockdown has had a devastating impact on cashflow. We are, however, delighted by the public’s positive response since we reopened, and this grant means that throughout the winter months and beyond, visitors will be able to continue coming to Brooklands and discover the inspiring stories of what people have accomplished here.”
The grant is the second boost Brooklands has had in recent weeks, following its new educational partnership with Heritage Skills Academy (HSA), which sees HSA expand from its current headquarters at Bicester Heritage to the historic Surrey location, forming a second teaching site for HSA apprenticeships. For further details, visit brooklandsmuseum.com.