City council and Peterborough organisations get £1.2m from Culture Recovery Fund

Peterborough City Council, which recently took charge of leisure and arts provision in the city, is to receive almost £500,000 in the latest round of Culture Recovery Fund grants announced tonight.
Peterborough Museum and Art Gallery.Peterborough Museum and Art Gallery.
Peterborough Museum and Art Gallery.

The council has been awarded £493,068 to support the Key Theatre, Peterborough Museum and Art Gallery, and Flag Fen as the venues face up to the challenges of the ongoing coronvirus pandemic,

Key Theatre has only this week welcomed audiences back into the Embankment venue.

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Councillor Steve Allen, cabinet member for culture and recreation at Peterborough City Council, said: “We are absolutely delighted to hear that our bid for Arts Council recovery grant funding has been successful.

Truckfest 2020 at the East of England Arena. EMN-200830-162854009Truckfest 2020 at the East of England Arena. EMN-200830-162854009
Truckfest 2020 at the East of England Arena. EMN-200830-162854009

“The grant will be a massive boost as we work to reopen some of our most popular arts and heritage facilities, including the Key Theatre, Peterborough Museum and Flag Fen and follows the successful transfer of our arts and leisure services to new providers.

“This successful funding bid also demonstrates the commitment of Peterborough City Council, City Culture Peterborough and Peterborough Limited to delivering first class arts, leisure and heritage services. We firmly believe these services are key to the city’s long-term future and helping Peterborough recover following Covid-19.”

Also benefitting from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport and Arts Council England’s £1.57 billion Culture Recovery Fund today is award winning Fengate-based Pearce Sound & Lighting Ltd, which received £450,000.

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The company -based in Stevern Way, has a 30-year history of providing technical services to live events, including Cambridge Folk Festival, Cambridge Big Weekend, Wilderness Festival, Sundown Festival and Jools Holland Tour.

The East of England Arena and Events Centre at the Showground - home this week to Circus Fantasia and the venue for Truckfest in August - receives £300,000.

And Huntingdon’s Cromwell Museum is awarded £53,066.

The grants - being made to theatres, galleries, performance groups, arts organisations, museums and local venues are to ensure they have a sustainable future and continue to bring joy to local communities and international audiences.

Today’s recipients are those that applied for grants of under £1 million. This funding will help organisations create work and performances, and plan for reopening.

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Earlier this week city organisations shared £1.1million - with New Theatre awarded £639,277 and The Cresset - which has just put tickets on sale for its panto - receiving £242,000

Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden, said: “This is more vital funding to protect cultural gems across the country, save jobs and prepare the arts to bounce back. Through Arts Council England we are delivering the biggest ever investment in the arts in record time. Hundreds of millions of pounds are already making their way to thousands of organisations.

“These awards build on our commitment to be here for culture in every part of the country.”