By Steve Cooke
For over a year not only have culture lovers been starved of access to the arts, many creative and cultural organisations have struggled to survive.
The Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport has made the much needed and very welcome announcement that more than 2,700 cultural and creative organisations are to receive a share of £400 million as part of a vital financial boost from the government’s £1.57 billion Culture Recovery Fund.
Among local organisations to receive these vital grants are English Folk Expo and Link4Life.
English Folk Expo support the English folk, roots and acoustic music sector through showcases, artist and industry development, live events, commissions, and other initiatives. It promotes UK and international folk music in Greater Manchester via the Manchester Folk Festival, Rochdale Folk Festival and a year-round promotions programme taking place in venues across the city region.
CEO and local councillor, Tom Besford said:
"This funding will enable us to press ahead and deliver a broad and dynamic programme of events and activities, including the Rochdale Folk Festival this June, artist training and development work, and loads of great live and online folk music content."
The award of £317,000 will enable Link4Life to gradually re-open and safely re-start exhibitions, performances and community delivery programmes at cultural venues including Touchstones Museum and Art Gallery, Middleton Arena and Heywood Civic Centre. It will enable new educational resources and programmes using the collections to be created for schools and will ensure local residents can look forward to an exciting programme of creative events and opportunities as we head towards the summer months and beyond.
Darren Grice, Deputy CEO, Link4Life said: Darren Grice, Deputy CEO, Link4Life said:
“This investment is vital to enable us to safely reopen venues and welcome back audiences. It also means we can begin the careful reintroduction of face-to-face community engagement programmes in the coming months and ensure local people remain at the heart of what we do and how we do it. Of course, all of this will only be possible because we will have the opportunity to invest in great talent and creativity. Artists will be at the centre of our plans and we hope that, in our small way, we can help to rebuild a creative sector that can continue to provide so much benefit for so many”.
Visit: https://link4life.org