Birmingham Royal Ballet among arts institutions first to receive £257m survival fund

More than 1,300 arts organisations across England, including the Birmingham Royal Ballet, will receive a share of a £257m government lifeline to help them survive the next six months.

The Birmingham Royal Ballet will get £500,000 to help with losses from cancelled performances and touring.

The Culture Recovery Fund comes from the Government but is distributed by Arts Council England (ACE).

Other organisations in the region to benefit include Museums Worcestershire, which has been awarded £96,454.

Museums Worcestershire is the joint museum service of Worcester City and Worcestershire County Councils. It comprises three venues– Worcester City Art Gallery & Museum, The Commandery in Worcester, and The County Museum at Hartlebury Castle. Last year the three museums attracted more than 100,000 visitors and delivered £1.5m into the local visitor economy.

Meanwhile, Arena Theatre at the University of Wolverhampton has been awarded £50,000.

The theatre is funded by both Arts Council England and the University of Wolverhampton. Closed since March, the grant from the Culture Recovery Fund will enable it to install equipment to bring a programme of online and streamed theatre to its audiences in Wolverhampton.

Sir Nicholas Serota, ACE’s chair, said: “Theatres, museums, galleries, dance companies and music venues bring joy to people and life to our cities, towns and villages.

“This is a difficult time for us all, but this first round of funding from the culture recovery fund will help sustain hundreds of cultural spaces and organisations that are loved and admired by local communities and international audiences.”

Culture secretary Oliver Dowden described the funding as “a vital boost for the theatres, music venues, museums and cultural organisations that form the soul of our nation”.

“It will protect these special places, save jobs and help the culture sector’s recovery.”

Other venues receiving details of grants include Liverpool’s Cavern Club and London’s Royal Academy of Dance.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport said it had prioritised cultural venues with national and local significance, and iconic venues known around the world.

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