Another Financial Boost for Watermans | ||||
Arts Council awards an additional £100,000 grant to aid recovery
Watermans in Brentford has again been successful in its bid to gain funds from Arts Council England. It has been awarded £100,000 from the Culture Recovery Fund set up by the government to aid arts venues struggling due to the effects of Covid-19. Jan Lennox, Director, Watermans, said, “It’s brilliant that Watermans has received this money so we can continue working with so many of our local communities and developing new programmes that local people tell us they want. This grant is further recognition of Watermans’ high quality and ambitious programmes at the venue, out in the community and online”. More than £100 million has been awarded to hundreds of cultural organisations across the country including Watermans in the latest round of support. These venues have been closed for long periods due to national and local lockdowns. During these times, Watermans was unable to run its cinema and theatre events and the normal income from these was not there to support its education and outreach programmes. The third round of funding aims to support organisations from all corners of the sector as they deal with ongoing reopening challenges. Watermans believes this additional funding will help it to rebuild our audiences through the delivery of a vibrant programme of events, workshops and outreach programmes. In the previous round of funding it received £67,000. Darren Henley, Chief Executive, Arts Council England, said, “This continued investment from the Government on an unprecedented scale means our theatres, galleries, music venues, museums and arts centres can carry on playing their part in bringing visitors back to our high streets, helping to drive economic growth, boosting community pride and promoting good health. It’s a massive vote of confidence in the role our cultural organisations play in helping us all to lead happier lives”. 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.” Over £1.2 billion has already been awarded from the Culture Recovery Fund, supporting around 5000 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.
November 19, 2021 |