£500,000 boost to help Derbyshire's cultural sector bounce back from pandemic

The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport and Arts Council England announced that a further 588 cultural and creative organisations across the country 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 Derbyshire, this £530,071 investment will help ensure the arts has a sustainable future and continues 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.

Peter Knott, area director for Arts Council England, said: “We’re delighted the fund has enabled support for a wide range of arts and cultural sector companies across Derbyshire.

"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 – this announcement gives us a chance to continue that and contribute to the national recovery, post-Covid.”

One organisation that will be receiving funding in Derbyshire is The Midland Railway Trust, £149,156, whose site includes working trains, a collection, heritage railway buildings and a Victorian railwayman’s church. This funding will cover costs due to closure and support them to carry out essential maintenance prior to re-opening in the spring.

Live music venue The Latch Lifter, located in Ilkeston, will receive £50,000. This funding will help them cover staff salaries, artist fees, and additional cleaning/PPE equipment costs allowing them to reopen safely, at a reduced capacity.

Derbyshire-based Oddsocks Productions will also be handed £55,036. The company provides tour- accessible adaptations of Shakespeare plays and other classic literature so that communities across the country can engage with theatre.

This funding will enable them to cover operating costs and staff salaries until March 2021 and cover creation and touring costs of a planned socially-distanced production of ‘ A Christmas Carol’.