More than £100 million has been awarded to hundreds of cultural organisations across the country including the Bluecoat in the latest round of support from the Culture Recovery Fund, the Culture Secretary announced today.

The Bluecoat in Liverpool has been awarded a grant of £155,194 by Arts Council England.

The latest Cultural Recovery Fund grant will ensure that the Bluecoat can continue to open its doors, providing a vital creative resource to Liverpool. It will support the Bluecoat’s after school club programme, Out of the Blue, which provides creative sessions to children living in some of the most deprived areas of the city, as well as supporting Blue Room, a programme for learning disabled adults. Artists will be supported in continuing to practise and, in addition, the funding will contribute to the building and organisation being fit for purpose – providing better access for resident artists, ensuring the building is covid safe, and contributing to the sustainability of the organisation through process improvements.

The third round of funding will support organisations from all corners of the sector as they deal with ongoing reopening challenges, ensuring they can thrive in better times ahead.

Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries said:

“Culture is for everyone and should therefore be accessible to everyone, no matter who they are and where they’re from.

“Through unprecedented government financial support, the Culture Recovery Fund is supporting arts and cultural organisations so they can continue to bring culture to communities the length and breadth of the country, supporting jobs, boosting local economies and inspiring people.”

Over £1.2 billion has already been awarded from the unprecedented Culture Recovery Fund, supporting around 5000 individual organisations and sites across the country ranging from local museums to West End theatres, grassroots music venues to festivals, and organisations in the cultural and heritage supply-chains.

Mary Cloake, Chief Executive of the Bluecoat said:

“The Cultural Recovery Fund has helped us survive a particularly difficult couple of years and this latest grant will ensure we can continue to open our doors, offering high quality arts experiences to the people of Liverpool and beyond. The Bluecoat, like many arts organisations, is dealing with a substantial shortfall in income from not being able to carry out commercial activities. But our civic role is more important than ever, as we continue to navigate this period of uncertainty, culture is central to driving the city’s recovery, supporting the wellbeing of communities, and providing creative inspiration for audiences and artists of all generations. We’re grateful to the government and the Arts Council for recognising the contribution arts and culture make to society.”

Darren Henley, Chief Executive, Arts Council England, said:

“This continued investment from the Government on an unprecedented scale means our theatres, galleries, music venues, museums and arts centres can carry on playing their part in bringing visitors back to our high streets, helping to drive economic growth, boosting community pride and promoting good health. It’s a massive vote of confidence in the role our cultural organisations play in helping us all to lead happier lives”.

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