Hampshire Cultural Trust is among 925 recipients nationwide to benefit from the latest round of awards from the government’s Culture Recovery Fund.
The Culture Secretary today announced that more than £100 million has been awarded to cultural organisations across the country in the latest round of support from the Culture Recovery Fund, with Hampshire Cultural Trust (HCT) having secured a grant of £240,000.
This award will enable HCT to build on the momentum it has gained since re-opening its doors in the summer of 2021, respond to ongoing challenges and continue to welcome visitors to its museums, galleries and arts centres across the county. Since the first lockdown in March 2020, the trust has developed an innovative range of ways to deliver its programme of exhibitions, live performance and events both online and in person and will continue to provide vital support for the most vulnerable in communities across Hampshire as the country emerges from the pandemic.
Paul Sapwell, Chief Executive of Hampshire Cultural Trust, commented: “Receiving funding for the third time from the Culture Recovery Fund is fantastic news for Hampshire Cultural Trust. The two grants that we have already received have been instrumental in helping us to re-open our doors to visitors across the county and crucially, in helping us to support communities as we move towards a future where we can put the pandemic behind us.”
HCT has been the recipient of funding from all three rounds of the Culture Recovery Fund, which has been a lifeline both for the organisation and for arts and heritage in Hampshire. This third round of funding will support organisations from all corners of the sector as they deal with ongoing re-opening challenges, ensuring they can thrive in better times ahead.
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 unprecedented 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 as well as organisations in the cultural and heritage supply-chains.
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”.