£580,922 boost for six Shropshire arts and cultural organisations

Another six Shropshire arts and cultural organisations are to benefit from a financial boost from the Government’s £1.57 billion Culture Recovery Fund.

The Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport and Arts Council England has today announced that a further 588 cultural and creative organisations across the UK are to receive a share of £76 million as part of a vital financial boost from the Government’s £1.57 billion Culture Recovery Fund.

In Shropshire a £580,922 investment will help save six theatres, galleries, performance groups, arts organisations, museums and local venues facing the challenges of the coronavirus pandemic, to ensure they have a sustainable future and continue to bring joy to local communities and international audiences.

The recipients are those that applied for grants of under £1 million in the second round of the Culture Recovery Fund. This funding will help organisations create work and performances, and plan for reopening.

Organisations that will be receiving funding in Shropshire include:

Shrewsbury Food Festival (£55,000)
Shrewsbury Food Festival offers free workshops to develop creativity through interaction and provides cultural opportunities, as well as the opportunities for bands, drama groups and dancers to perform at the festival. The funding allows the festival to continue to plan for future festivals, and to continue their work in local schools and community groups.

Shropshire Festivals Ltd (£100,000)
Shropshire Festivals run six large festivals per year attracting more than 90,000 visitors and supporting 300 small local producers, artists, musicians and chefs. They also work with young people, offering 1,000 school children tickets to the festival, where they run a music competition for bands aged under 16.

The Arts Centre, Telford (£52,100)
The Arts Centre Telford provides affordable performing arts tuition and live theatre opportunities to people from aged 4 to over 70s from a wide range of backgrounds in Telford. The funding will enable them to re-open their performing studios safely and to prepare for socially distanced live performances.

Theatre on the Steps, Bridgnorth (£100,000)
Theatre on the Steps in Bridgnorth has 180 seats, 120 in the stalls and 60 in the Balcony. Normally for 45 weeks a year, the theatre offers a wide variety of drama, music and dance, with its own company of actors and singers mounting several productions including the annual pantomime. The rest of the programme is filled by visiting theatre companies, bands and artists.

The funding distributed today follows £257 million awarded to 1385 organisations on Monday in which eight Shropshire organisations benefitted.

Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said: “This is more vital funding to protect cultural gems across the country, save jobs and prepare the arts to bounce back. Through Arts Council England we are delivering the biggest ever investment in the arts in record time. Hundreds of millions of pounds are already making their way to thousands of organisations.

“These awards build on our commitment to be here for culture in every part of the country.”

Peter Knott, Area Director, Arts Council England said: “We’re delighted the Culture Recovery Fund has enabled support for a wide range of arts and cultural sector companies across Shropshire. This latest set of awards builds on those announced recently and will help hundreds of organisations to survive the next few months, ensuring that the cultural sector can bounce back after the crisis.

“The government’s package is hugely welcome, providing much of the sector with resources to remain in business through to the Spring. Well-loved community projects, theatres, galleries, museums, clubs, music venues, festivals, key cultural suppliers along with other creative spaces and projects have benefited. This is welcome news not only for those in receipt of the funding but also for communities in villages, towns and cities across the Midlands where this matters so much.

“We know that creativity, arts and culture benefit us in so many ways, having a positive impact on our wellbeing, bringing us together and making a significant contribution to the local and national economy – today’s announcements gives us a chance to continue that and contribute to the national recovery, post-Covid.”

Further announcements on the funding administered by Arts Council England will follow soon; applicants for grants of over £1 million, and those that applied to the Repayable Finance programme, will be notified of their outcomes shortly.