Harrogate Theatre has today been awarded £249,820 from a government rescue fund for the arts.
Other local venues have also been successful, with £238,590 awarded to Deer Shed Festival near Topcliffe, £117,500 to Ripon Museum Trust and £54,339 to Ripon Amateur Operatic Society.
Harrogate Theatre, which will remain closed until next year, said the award would cover its losses from November 2020 to April 2021
This money is in addition to an Arts Council England grant of £395,000 in July and £100,000 raised from an emergency appeal.
It means the theatre has now received nearly £750,000 to help it survive the coronavirus-enforced closure.
David Bown, chief executive of the theatre, said:
“The funding provides an urgent lifeline to Harrogate Theatre and many other arts organisations across the country. We are thankful for this vital intervention, which demonstrates our value to our local area and the wider cultural sector.”
Mr Bown hopes that the money will help the theatre to “return stronger than ever” in 2021.
Read more:
- Harrogate theatre will remain closed until 2021
- Harrogate Theatre gets £395,000 to survive until September
The government handed out £257 million to nearly 1,400 cultural and creative organisations in today’s first round of awards from the £1.57 billion Culture Recovery Fund, which is run by Arts Council England.
Deborah Larwood, the theatre chair, said:
“This support will play a crucial role in enabling us to stabilise the theatre following the devastating impact of the covid pandemic. In these most challenging times we have had to make some very difficult decisions, but this funding gives us the opportunity to focus on planning for the future.”
