£7 million recovery funding to help city venues survive
ATOTAL of 29 venues and organisations across Bristol have been awarded grants as part of the Government’s Culture Recovery Fund.
Almost £7 million has been handed to theatres, music venues, charities and more across the city, including Bristol Old Vic, Exchange, Motion, ss Great Britain Trust and Watershed.
The recipients, announced yesterday, are those that applied for grants of less than £1million in the first round of the £1.57billion Culture Recovery Fund.
A total of £33.7million has been awarded across the South West region.
This funding will help organisations create work and performances, as well as plan for reopening.
The biggest winners are:
» SS Great Britain Trust – £888,186
» Motion Events Ltd – £884,796
» Watershed Arts Trust Ltd – £731,993
» Bristol Old Vic and Theatre Royal Trust Ltd – £610,466
» St George’s Bristol – £564,916
» Trinity Community Arts – £329,363
It is the biggest portion of funding distributed to date from the Culture Recovery Fund, and the first in a series of announcements on the funding programmes administered by Arts Council England.
Applicants for grants of more than £1million, as well as those who applied to round two of the fund and the Repayable Finance programme, will be notified of their outcomes soon.
Phil Gibby, area director of Arts Council England South West, said: “The Arts Council have been hard at work administering this share of the Government’s £1.57 billion towards the cultural sector over the past few months during this challenging time for us all.
“I am pleased that we are able to announce support for 172 much loved cultural organisations in the south west through this first round of funding today.
“Arts and culture brings communities together and helps to enrich our lives – and this funding will help keep that alive, now and for generations to come. We are here for culture.”
Nationally, a share-out of £257 million of state funding was announced.
More than 1,300 arts venues and organisations have benefitted. Outside Bristol, recipients include the world-famous Cavern Club in Liverpool, Beamish Living Museum in County Durham, the Yorkshire Sculpture Park in Wakefield and the Birmingham Royal Ballet.
The tranche of cash is part of the Government’s £1.6 billion Culture Recovery Fund, and will “protect these special places” which “form the soul of our nation”, said Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden.
The funding will help performances to restart, assist venues to plan for reopening, protect jobs and create freelance opportunities, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport said.