Stagetext are among more than 2,700 recipients to benefit from the latest round of the government’s Culture Recovery Fund.
This award will help us support venues in supplying access to d/Deaf, deafened and hard of hearing audiences as they return to venues.
Stagetext has received a grant of £32.5k from the Government’s £1.57 billion Culture Recovery Fund to help us support arts and cultural venues across the country as they prepare to reopen their doors to the public.
More than £300 million has been awarded to thousands of cultural organisations across the country including Stagetext in the latest round of support from the Culture Recovery Fund, the Culture Secretary announced today.
This additional funding will help Stagetext to adapt to meet the demand for accessible captioning and subtitling of arts and culture, whether online, in person or a hybrid of the two.
Cultural organisations have worked incredibly hard over the last year to produce a huge number of accessible events online. This funding award will help Stagetext to continue to support the sector, ensuring this dedication to access and choice is built in to in-venue performances and events in theatres, museums, galleries and beyond.
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.
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.
Culture Secretary, Oliver Dowden, said: “Our record breaking Culture Recovery Fund has already helped thousands of culture and heritage organisations across the country survive the biggest crisis they’ve ever faced.
“Now we’re staying by their side as they prepare to welcome the public back through their doors – helping our cultural gems plan for reopening and thrive in the better times ahead.”
Melanie Sharpe, Stagetext Chief Executive, said: “Support from the Culture Recovery Fund means that we can help theatres, museums and other cultural organisations to be more accessible, so that d/Deaf, deafened and hard of hearing audiences are included as venues reopen.”
Sir Nicholas Serota, Chair, Arts Council England, said: “Investing in a thriving cultural sector at the heart of communities is a vital part of helping the whole country to recover from the pandemic. These grants will help to re-open theatres, concert halls, and museums and will give artists and companies the opportunity to begin making new work.
“We are grateful to the Government for this support and for recognising the paramount importance of culture to our sense of belonging and identity as individuals and as a society.”
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 Arts Council England, as well as Historic England and National Lottery Heritage Fund and the British Film Institute.
