News: Darlington Hippodrome To Receive £499,304 From Second Round Of The Government’s Culture Recovery Fund

Darlington Hippodrome To Receive £499,304 From Second Round Of The Government’s Culture Recovery Fund

 

Darlington Hippodrome is to benefit from the latest round of awards from the Culture Recovery Fund.

 

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

The grant will help Darlington Hippodrome offset losses from cancelled productions, retain jobs, secure the long-term future of the theatre and secure the purchase of new state-of-the-art cinema screening equipment to facilitate an ever expanding offer of events once the venue is able to re-open its doors in May.

 

The second round of awards made today will help organisations to look ahead to the spring and summer and plan for reopening and recovery. After months of closures and cancellations to contain the virus and save lives, this funding will be a much-needed helping hand for organisations transitioning back to normal in the months ahead. 

 

Heather Tarran-Jones, the Hippodrome’s Director of Programming and Development, said: “We are delighted to receive news of this second Arts Council England grant. The last twelve months has been a challenging time for the sector and we are very grateful to receive support from central government, administered through ACE, as part of a £1.57 billion package to protect the UK’s culture and heritage sectors from the economic impacts of Covid-19. We are coming to the end of a difficult journey and this funding will assist in the transition back to a sustainable business model. However, what we really need is the return of our fantastic audiences purchasing tickets to future shows to breathe life and energy back into the Hippodrome welcoming the return of live entertainment.”

 

The funding awarded today is from a 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.