South Hill Park Arts Centre and Wilde Theatre in Bracknell is delighted to have received a grant of £112, 814 from the Government’s £1.57 billion Culture Recovery Fund to help the organisation recover and reopen. We are among more than 2,700 recipients to benefit from the latest round of awards from the £1.57 billion Culture Recovery Fund.
More than £300 million has been awarded to thousands of cultural organisations across the country including South Hill Park in the latest round of support from the Culture Recovery Fund.
We welcome this financial support as this package will help greatly towards securing the future for South Hill Park. We are incredibly grateful we can continue to entertain and support our community with the variety of live performances, cinema screenings, courses & workshops, exhibitions we offer, plus much more – particularly as we look forward to re-opening the venue this summer.
Over £800 million in grants and loans has already been awarded to support almost 3,800 cinemas, performance venues, museums, heritage sites and other cultural organisations dealing with the immediate challenges of the coronavirus pandemic.
The second round of awards will help organisations to look ahead to the spring and summer and plan for reopening and recovery. After months of closures and cancellations to contain the virus and save lives, this funding will be a much-needed helping hand for organisations transitioning back to normal in the months ahead.
Culture Secretary, Oliver Dowden, said ‘Our record breaking Culture Recovery Fund has already helped thousands of culture and heritage organisations across the country survive the biggest crisis they’ve ever faced.
Now we’re staying by their side as they prepare to welcome the public back through their doors – helping our cultural gems plan for reopening and thrive in the better times ahead.’
Our Chief Executive Craig Titley said, ‘On behalf of the Trustees, staff, volunteers and audiences at South Hill Park we are delighted and grateful to Arts Council England and the DCMS for awarding the Arts Centre a second Culture Recovery Fund grant. These funds are vital in supporting us from April to June as we prepare to re-open our doors. With social distancing still in place this grant will give us the confidence to press ahead with our plans to offer a take-away service or outside dining on the Terrace from 14 April, host over 60 courses and workshops from 17 May and resume cinema screenings and live performances from 2 June. We look forward to welcoming back audiences and visitors to South Hill Park and would like to thank everyone who has made a donation to our public fundraising campaign or lent their support.’
Sir Nicholas Serota, Chair, Arts Council England, said: ‘Investing in a thriving cultural sector at the heart of communities is a vital part of helping the whole country to recover from the pandemic. These grants will help to re-open theatres, concert halls, and museums and will give artists and companies the opportunity to begin making new work.
We are grateful to the Government for this support and for recognising the paramount importance of culture to our sense of belonging and identity as individuals and as a society.’
The funding awarded today is from a £400 million pot which was held back last year to ensure the Culture Recovery Fund could continue to help organisations in need as the public health picture changed. The funding has been awarded by Arts Council England, as well as Historic England and National Lottery Heritage Fund and the British Film Institute.
South Hill Park Arts Centre is determined that the shows will go on, so please support live theatre. If you would like to donate to the South Hill Park fundraising campaign please click here.
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