Arts Council England: Culture

Culture Recovery for East of England

In October, the Arts Council and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport announced that 1975 arts and cultural organisations across the country would receive a share of more than £335 million. The money, part of the £1.57 billion Culture Recovery Fund, will provide a vital boost to arts and cultural organisations across England.

Across Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire, £15.7 million was awarded to 89 organisations, ranging from the Hippodrome Great Yarmouth and Norwich Puppet Theatre, through to SIN Cru, Britten Sinfonia, New Wolsey Theatre, the Bungay Arts and Theatre Society, and Alive West Norfolk (King’s Lynn Corn Exchange).

The recipients are those that applied for grants of under £1 million across Rounds one and two of the Culture Recovery Fund. This funding will help organisations create work, performances to restart and venues to plan for reopening.

It is the biggest tranche 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 over £1 million, as well as those who applied to the Repayable Finance programme, will be notified of their outcomes shortly.

Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said: ‘This funding is a vital boost for the theatres, music venues, museums and cultural organisations that form the soul of our nation. It will protect these special places, save jobs and help the culture sector’s recovery.

“These places and projects are cultural beacons the length and breadth of the country - from the Beamish museum in County Durham to the Birmingham Royal Ballet and the Bristol Old Vic.

“This unprecedented investment in the arts is proof this government is here for culture, with further support to come in the days and weeks ahead so that the culture sector can bounce back strongly.’ Some of the successful applicants were:

• £79,176 for SINCRU, a Hip Hop collective based in Cambridge that works to cultivate access, skills development and community engagement within all aspects of the varying Hip Hop art forms.

• £182,907 for Hippodrome Great Yarmouth, Britain’s only surviving circus building. Built in 1903, it is just one of three buildings in the world to still have and operate an original sinking ring water feature.

• £84,335 for the John Peel Centre, the only venue in the world dedicated to the legendary DJ John Peel and an important part of the cultural offer in Stowmarket.

• £61,588 for Collusion, resident at Cambridge Junction, is a practice-based, arts org creating public works that explore new and emerging technologies, supporting the development of artistic talent & place-making.

• £302,922 for Marina Theatre Trust in Lowestoft, which presents a programme of live performances, screenings and outreach activities. Its work on stage and in the community helps combat social isolation, as well as enhancing physical and mental well-being.

• £247,690 for King's Lynn Corn Exchange (Arts Alive Ltd), a popular entertainment venue presenting everything from opera to pantomime. Located in a highly rural area, the venue is a vital part of the cultural offer for the communities of West Norfolk, providing a wide range of affordable cultural experiences.

• £84,750 for Norwich Puppet Theatre, one of only three building-based puppet theatres in England, and with its 165 seat main auditorium, 50 seat studio, 30 seat outdoor amphitheatre plus workshops, it provides a well-equipped focal point for puppetry practitioners for performance and development.

For a full list of successful applicants, please visit: https://www.artscouncil.org.uk/publication/culturerecovery-fund-data