Cash boost of almost £70,000 for two Burnley based arts organisations will help them recover from effects of Covid-19

Mid Pennine Arts will receive £33,459 from the Culture Recovery Fund and Burnley Youth Theatre was awarded £29,390.

The two organisations are among 12 across Lancashire to receive a share of the £842,671 in the third round of the process announced today by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. The money is to support theatres, galleries, performance groups, arts organisations and local venues to reopen and recover after the pandemic.

Nationally, 925 cultural and creative organisations are to receive a share of £107 million in grants and loans as part of a vital financial boost from the unprecedented fund.

This includes more than £100 million, which has been awarded in grants through Arts Council England, Historic England, National Lottery Heritage Fund and the British Film Institute.

Anthony Preston, who is chairman of trustees at Burnley Youth Theatre said: "We are delighted with the significant financial support we have received from the Cultural Recovery Fund.

"It has been vital in helping us to re-launch our activities and secure the future of the organisation in these most challenging of times, recognising the important contribution we make to the cultural life, well-being and prosperity of Burnley and its young people.”

Arts Council England has been working on two funding programmes for this third round of the Government’s Culture Recovery Fund: Continuity Support and Emergency Resource Support.

In addition to the cash announced today, organisations across the country have been awarded grants from the Emergency Resource Support strand of funding, with more applications undergoing assessment over the coming weeks. Looking to help those facing imminent risks, and open to those who haven’t received funding in previous rounds, grants from this rolling programme are protecting jobs by saving important arts and cultural organisations.  

Culture Secretary, Nadine Dorries, said: “Culture is for everyone and should therefore be accessible to everyone, no matter who they are and where they’re from.

“Through unprecedented government financial support, the Culture Recovery Fund is supporting arts and cultural organisations so they can continue to bring culture to communities the length and breadth of the country, supporting jobs, boosting local economies and inspiring people.”

This latest round of funding builds on the £1.2 billion already awarded from the fund, supporting around 5,000 individual organisations and sites across the country, ranging from local museums to West End theatres, grassroots music venues to festivals, and organisations in the cultural and heritage supply-chains.