Theatre Royal & Royal Concert Hall Nottingham to receive £425,000 from second round of the Government’s Culture Recovery Fund

• Theatre Royal & Royal Concert Hall among more than 2,700 recipients to benefit from the latest round of awards from the £1.57 billion Culture Recovery Fund 
• This award will enable the venue to reopen to the public in the summer, once national restrictions are lifted

The Theatre Royal & Royal Concert Hall in Nottingham has received a grant of £425,000 from the Government’s £1.57 billion Culture Recovery Fund to help the organisation recover and reopen. 

More than £300 million has been awarded to thousands of cultural organisations across the country including the Theatre Royal & Royal Concert Hall in the latest round of support from the Culture Recovery Fund, the Culture Secretary announced today.

The Theatre Royal & Royal Concert Hall has been closed since March 2020, the longest unplanned closure in its 156-year history.  The award announced today will enable the venue to be ready to reopen to audiences this summer, once national restrictions are lifted, and will help towards essential maintenance projects within one of Nottingham’s most treasured historic landmark buildings.

Over £800 million in grants and loans has already been awarded to support almost 3,800 cinemas, performance venues, museums, heritage sites and other cultural organisations dealing with the immediate challenges of the coronavirus pandemic.

Culture Secretary, Oliver Dowden, said:

“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.”

Portfolio Holder for Leisure, Culture & IT at Nottingham City Council, Councillor Dave Trimble, said:

“After so many months of uncertainty, and a couple of false dawns along the way, there is now a real sense of light at the end of the tunnel.  This award will help us enormously, to look ahead to the spring and summer with confidence and to plan for our reopening and recovery.”

Sir Nicholas Serota, Chair, Arts Council England, said:

 “Investing in a thriving cultural sector at the heart of communities is a vital part of helping the whole country to recover from the pandemic. These grants will help to re-open theatres, concert halls, and museums and will give artists and companies the opportunity to begin making new work. 

We are grateful to the Government for this support and for recognising the paramount importance of culture to our sense of belonging and identity as individuals and as a society.”

The funding awarded today is from a £400 million pot which was held back last year to ensure the Culture Recovery Fund could continue to help organisations in need as the public health picture changed. The funding has been awarded by Arts Council England, as well as Historic England and National Lottery Heritage Fund and the British Film Institute. 

Arts Council England is the national development agency for creativity and culture. We have set out our strategic vision in Let’s Create that by 2030 we want England to be a country in which the creativity of each of us is valued and given the chance to flourish and where everyone of us has access to a remarkable range of high quality cultural experiences. We invest public money from Government and The National Lottery to help support the sector and to deliver this vision. www.artscouncil.org.uk

Following the Covid-19 crisis, the Arts Council developed a £160 million Emergency Response Package, with nearly 90% coming from the National Lottery, for organisations and individuals needing support. We are also one of the bodies administering the Government’s Culture Recovery Fund. Find out more at www.artscouncil.org.uk/covid19.

At the Budget, the Chancellor announced the £1.57 billion Culture Recovery Fund would be boosted with a further £300 million investment. Details of this third round of funding will be announced soon.