Derby Cathedral to be recipient of the second round of the Government’s Culture Recovery Fund

Derby Cathedral are to receive £125,600 from second round of the Government’s Culture Recovery Fund. The Cathedral are among more than 2,700 recipients to benefit from the latest round of awards from the £1.57 billion Culture Recovery Fund.

“The funding is vital in facilitating our return to full opening and financial sustainability.  As well as covering core costs at this challenging time, it ensures that necessary work such as a full accessibility audit and maintenance to the East End of the Cathedral is completed, both of which will improve the visitor experience so that everyone feels welcomed and able to engage with all the Cathedral has to offer.”

The Very Rev’d Peter Robinson, Dean of Derby

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.

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.

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.

Duncan Wilson, Chief Executive of Historic England, said:

“The value of our heritage sites and the people who run them has been amply demonstrated, as they have provided an anchor for so many of us through the dark days of the last year. Vital grants from the Culture Recovery Fund have helped them   survive and will now help them recover, as the places we all cherish start to reopen in the months ahead.”

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 the National Lottery Heritage Fund and Historic England as well as the British Film Institute and Arts Council England.