Heritage organisations across the country are set to receive a lifesaving financial boost thanks to the £1.57 billion Culture Recovery Fund to help them through the coronavirus pandemic. The Fund is now closed to applications.
445 organisations will share £103 million to help restart vital repair and maintenance work on heritage sites, to keep venues open and to save jobs and livelihoods.
The funding is from the Culture Recovery Fund for Heritage and the Heritage Stimulus Fund – funded by the government and administered at arms length by Historic England and the National Lottery Heritage Fund. Both funds are designed to secure the future of Britain’s museums, galleries, theatres, independent cinemas, heritage sites and music venues with emergency grants and loans.
433 organisations will receive a share of £67 million from the Culture Recovery Fund for Heritage to help with costs for operating, reopening and recovery. This includes famous heritage sites across the country, from Wentworth Woodhouse in Yorkshire to Blackpool’s Winter Gardens, Blyth Tall Ship to the Severn Valley Railway, the International Bomber Command Centre in Lincolnshire to the Piece Hall in Halifax. The funds will save sites that define communities across the country.
Beneficiaries also include famous locations that have starred in film and TV and are huge draws for tourists the world over, such as Gloucester Cathedral – whose cloisters formed the backdrop for Hogwarts in the Harry Potter films, and Highclere Castle – the setting of Downton Abbey.
Grants are between £10,000 and £1 million with a further round of grants of up to £3 million are due to be announced imminently.
12 organisations, including English Heritage, Landmark Trust, Historic Royal Palaces and the Canal and River Trust, will receive £34 million from the Heritage Stimulus Fund to restart construction and maintenance on heritage sites to preserve visitor attractions and protect livelihoods for some of the most vulnerable heritage specialists and contractors in the sector.
The Architectural Heritage Fund (AHF) has also been awarded a grant from the Culture Recovery Fund through Historic England. The AHF will use the funding to support charities and social enterprises occupying historic buildings to develop new business plans and strategies for organisations affected by the pandemic.
A list of the 433 organisations that will receive a share of the Culture Recovery Fund can be found at this LINK.
Image: Hele Corn Mill and Tea Room, a unique 16th century water mill in North Devon, located just 300m from Hele Bay Beach, was awarded a grant of £28,800 from the Culture Recovery Fund. The Tea Room was voted Best Tea Shop in Devon in 2017, 2015, 2014, and 2013.