Over half a million pounds will be awarded to arts organisations on the Isle of Wight in the latest round of funding from the UK Government.
A total of £558,550 will be awarded across five Island organisations as set out below.
It’s part of the £257 million funding to 1,385 venues, theatres, museums and cultural organisations across the country, through the first tranche of Culture Recovery Fund: Grants programme, administered by the Arts Council.
Island beneficiaries
| Organisation | Amount |
|---|---|
| Brading Roman Villa | £96,200 |
| Shademakers UK Carnival Club | £51,000 |
| Shanklin Theatre Limited | £74,502 |
| Spyder UK Ltd | £101,921 |
| Steve Ross Foundation for the Arts (including Ventnor Exchange) | £231,927 |
Newman: A safe place for arts and culture to thrive
Quay Arts, Visual Arts Manager, Georgia Newman, said,
“We are absolutely thrilled to see our joint bid with Ventnor Exchange has been accepted! These are truly are unprecedented times, the impact of the pandemic has severely hit our trading activities, which supports the Quay Arts charity, Steve Ross Foundation for the Arts.
“This investment will ensure there is a safe place for arts and culture to not only survive, but to thrive on the Isle of Wight.”
Whitewood: Transformative funding
Ventnor Exchange Co-Director, Jack Whitewood, said,
“This vital funding is transformative for Ventnor Exchange. After losing 75% of our income following months of closure and the cancellation of Ventnor Fringe, this now gives us hope.
“After months of firefighting, we can now focus all of our efforts and resources on supporting our community and helping to lead the cultural, social and economic recovery to come.”
Serota: Working hard to support creative organisations
Sir Nicholas Serota, Chair, Arts Council England 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.
“Further funding will be announced later in the month and we are working hard to support creative organisations and individuals during these challenging times.”
Dowden: Money will get to work right across the country
Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said,
“The government is here for culture and we have worked around the clock to get this funding to arts organisations. It will give many of our wonderful theatres, museums, art groups and cultural venues a helping hand to get them back on their feet.
“This money will get to work right across the country to save these places and protect jobs and hundreds of millions pounds is on the way for cultural organisations of all sizes that still need our help.”
Congratulations to all the organisations who have received this funding. We look forward to seeing you continue to be “here for culture”.
Article edit
5pm 12th Oct 2020 – Quotes added from Quay Arts and Ventnor Exchange
