WILTSHIRE Creative has been awarded almost half a million pounds as part of the government’s Culture Recovery Fund.
The money - £446,000 - is designed to help face the challenges of the coronavirus pandemic.
The grant will contribute towards the organisation’s running costs until the end of March 2021.
Wiltshire Creative is one of 1,385 cultural and creative organisations across the country receiving support.
£257 million of investment has been announced today as part of the very first round of the Culture Recovery Fund grants programme being administered by Arts Council England.
Further rounds of funding in the cultural and heritage sector are due to be announced over the coming weeks.
Wiltshire Creative Executive Director Sebastian Warrack and Artistic Director Gareth Machin said: “We are absolutely delighted that our application to the Culture Recovery Fund has been successful.
"This will enable Wiltshire Creative to plan with greater confidence, to ensure our organisation is Covid safe and to be open, welcoming back and serving our community.”
Every year Wiltshire Creative entertains thousands of people at its venues, Salisbury Playhouse and Salisbury Arts Centre and through its annual festival – Salisbury International Arts Festival.
Wiltshire Creative closed both its venues in mid-March and cancelled this year’s Salisbury International Arts Festival.
It was also obliged to cancel this year’s Christmas pantomime which would not have been viable in a socially distanced auditorium.
Salisbury Playhouse re-opens to the general public this week for the first time in more than six months.
The capacity of Salisbury Playhouse’s main auditorium has been reduced from 512 to 148, with audiences sitting in their bubbles of no more than six and some rows completely removed.
Wiltshire Creative say this is not a sustainable long-term solution to reopening, and that it will not be possible to mount larger scale productions in a post-Covid world without adequate insurance cover in the event of lockdowns.
For more information and to book Autumn events go to wiltshirecreative.co.uk.
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