Gillian Keegan MP has welcomed the announcement that the Chichester Constituency will receive £1,591,434 to support iconic cultural and heritage organisations as they reopen and recover from coronavirus.
This is part of the £400 million in grants and loans being delivered to over 2,700 organisations across England, to help cultural and heritage organisations reopen and thrive in the better times ahead. Locally this includes heritage over £300,000 for heritage sites, including Chichester Cathedral Restoration Trust, the Hollycombe Working Steam Museum and many more. Similarly, centres of art and culture have benefited with money being allocated to the Chichester Festival Theatre and Pallant House Gallery.
This brings the Government's total investment across grants, capital and repayable finance from the Culture Recovery Fund so far to more than £1.2 billion across over 5,000 individual cultural and heritage organisations and sites. Nearly all of the original £1.57 billion Culture Recovery Fund has now been allocated, and the Chancellor announced a further £300 million boost for the Fund at last month’s Budget, taking direct government investment in the sector since the start of the pandemic to almost £2 billion.
The Government’s funding follows several calls for support from Gillian, who has previously written to her Ministerial colleagues at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport to highlight the importance of these industries to the local economy. Last summer, Gillian also joined Nigel Huddleston, Heritage and Tourism Minister on a tour of the constituency where she further pressed the importance of such industries to the area to ensure our world-famous heritage, art and culture can not only survive in the short-term but thrive in the future.
Commenting, Gillian said:
“The past year has had a significant impact on our art, cultural and heritage organisations up and down the Chichester constituency, so it is fantastic news that this money is being made available. These industries are central to our identity and our economy through the areas tourism offer, which we need to bolster as we prepare to reopen. There will be challenges ahead, but this money will make all the difference to ensure our recovery goes as quickly as possible, and that we remain a top destination for art, culture and heritage.”
Danielle Dunfied, CEO of The Great Sussex Way said,
“This funding will be transformative to many of our key art, culture and heritage organisations that drive much of our tourism locally. It has never been more important to support our major attractions across the Chichester District as we begin our economic recovery. Tourism normally makes up a significant part of the local economy and employs roughly 15% of our workforce, so supporting its recovery is crucial. I am hugely grateful to Gillian for all her work to secure more support for the area and I know we are all looking forward to getting back out there and enjoying everything our area has to offer.”
Oliver Dowden, Culture Secretary, 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.”
