Ripon Cathedral has been awarded £126,000 from the second round of the government’s Culture Recovery Fund.
The grant will help the cathedral re-open its doors when lockdown restrictions are eased on May 17.
It will also help provide new information to visitors and market the cathedral to fresh audiences.
The grant is being distributed by the National Lottery Heritage Fund and the public body Historic England.
The Dean of Ripon, the Very Rev John Dobson DL said:
“Ripon Cathedral exists to serve the people of the region and visitors from across the country and beyond. We pride ourselves in welcoming people of all faith and no faith, as well as those who come as Christian worshipers and pilgrims.
“These much-needed funds will enable us to open our doors wide for all, as the country emerges from lockdown.”
Visitor numbers at the cathedral are still limited due to covid restrictions. However, it has been streaming some services on its YouTube channel.
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The owner of Newby Hall received £208,300 from the heritage fund and The Parochial Church Council Of The Ecclesiastical Parish Of St Peter High Harrogate received £39,800.
Four other cultural organisations in the district also received funding from the government fund through Arts Council England.
These were:
- Harrogate Theatre: £91,078
- Harrogate International Festivals: £80,000
- Ripon Museum Trust: £69,350
- Cause UK: £35,000
Nearly £400 million has been awarded to thousands of cultural organisations across the country in the second round of funding from the £1.57 billion fund.
Harrogate arts organisations awarded culture grantsFour culture organisations in the Harrogate district have been awarded further funding as part of the government’s culture recovery fund.
Arts Council England granted the funding as part of a further £300 million worth of financial support for culture and art organisations.
The government announced a £1.57 billion fund last year which aimed to support cultural and heritage sectors from the economic impact of covid.
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- Ripon cultural organisations receive £170,000 lifeline
- Harewood House awarded funding boost
- Harrogate Theatre awarded £250,000 survival boost
Among those to be awarded a grant is Cause UK, which has secured £35,000 in funding.
The agency hosted Ken Loach and Brian Blessed in Harrogate on behalf of the Harrogate Film Festival, as well as family events at the Royal Hall with Steve Backshall and Chris Packham
Clair Challenor-Chadwick, managing director of Cause UK, said:
“As a vibrant agency for 10 years, Cause UK had strong growth pre-covid, thanks to our growing cultural portfolio. Obviously, that was all put on hold with covid.
“A significant part of our work is also as a support agency to arts, public sector and charities. We’ve supported organisations as diverse as Besbrode Pianos, Ilkley Literature Festival, The Barnsley Civic, Harrogate Convention Centre, the Wesley Centre in Malton and the Himalayan Sculpture Park.
“We’re proud our work has had significant impact, helping clients to win awards, increase visitor and audience reach, engage sponsors, and attract investment.”
Harrogate Theatre with stands empty in the town centre.
Meanwhile, Harrogate International Festivals has been awarded £80,000 and Harrogate Theatre secured £91,078.
Ripon Museum Trust has also been granted £69,350.
The chief executive of Harrogate Theatre Trust, David Bown, gave his reaction to the grant:
“We are thrilled to receive this funding from the Cultural Recovery Fund. It will allow us to move forward with increasing confidence as we launch our Raise the Roof season by bringing drama, comedy and music to community venues throughout the district in what will be challenging times as restrictions are relaxed.”
The cultural recovery fund is targeted at organisations which work in music, theatre, dance, combined arts, visual arts, museums or literature.
The funding has been awarded by Arts Council England, Historic England, National Lottery Heritage Fund and the British Film Institute
Oliver Dowden, culture secretary, said:
Harewood House awarded funding boost“Our record-breaking Culture Recovery Fund has already helped thousands of culture and heritage organisations across the country survive the biggest crisis they’ve ever faced.
“Now we’re staying by their side as they prepare to welcome the public back through their doors – helping our cultural gems plan for reopening and thrive in the better times ahead.”
Harewood House Trust has been awarded £695,556 by the Cultural Recovery Fund.
It is the latest grant in the fight to support the stately home through the coronavirus pandemic.
Last week, Harewood was given £296,128 by Historic England and DCMS to fund the restoration of its Terrace balustrade. It was also awarded an emergency National Heritage Lottery Fund grant to support re-opening earlier in the year.
The charity has now received more than £1 million to help survive and recover from its coronavirus-enforced closure.
Lockdown forced Harewood to close its doors for 14 weeks this year – more than a third of its open season. This resulted in losses of £1.2 million, as an estimated 80,000 people were unable to visit.
Trust director Jane Marriott said:
“Like many of our colleagues, Harewood’s total closure earlier in the year placed us in such a difficult financial situation, facing over £1 million in losses. However, the combination of our visitors’ support and a significant grant from the Culture Recovery Fund has secured Harewood’s future recovery, so that we can continue to do ambitious programming, and to make certain that this wonderful place can continue to be enjoyed by as many as possible.
“The national funding bodies’ confidence in Harewood’s work is very much needed and appreciated. We are now in a position to improve the site, develop our learning programme, continue to work with artists and maintain our ambitious visitor experience, looking once again to our future.”
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The grant from the Cultural Recovery Fund will support a series of family friendly activities, invest in Harewood’s technology infrastructure, and provide canopies for outdoor spaces. This will provide cover for weddings and private hire events, in turn generating vital income for the charity.
Harrogate Theatre awarded £250,000 survival boostHarrogate 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.”