Two grants worth £470,521 million have been awarded to The Barn Theatre Project and the Corinium Museum in the Cotswolds. The funding is part of the first round of announcements on the Government’s £1.57 billion Culture Recovery Fund Grants programme, being administered by the Arts Council.  

This is the largest tranche of funding being made from the Culture Recovery Fund, bringing the overall funding awarded up to this point to over £360 million, with more to be announced.  This funding will help 1,385 theatres, galleries, performance groups, arts organisations, museums and local venues survive the challenges of the coronavirus pandemic.  

Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden has clearly stated the Governments support for the arts and culture sector which has been badly impacted by the Covid-19 lockdown. This funding will help allow performances to restart, venues to plan for reopening and help protect jobs and create opportunities for freelancers. 

Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown MP commented:  

“It is fantastic to hear that two organisations in the Cotswolds have been awarded a total of £470,521 from the £1.57 billion Culture Recovery Fund.  The Corinium Museum provides an exceptional interactive experience for visitors to discover the archaeology of the Cotswolds. They also hold regular events including exhibitions, talks, and family activities. The Barn Theatre, from the very beginning of lockdown, was highly innovative. One of the first things they did was to produce a weekly show for me, which enabled me to broadcast the latest advice and guidance from Government on Covid-19 and have Q&As with a panel of local experts.  

“They were one of the first theatres to put on an outdoor show with Tweedy the clown, even with social distancing in place the children who attended were enthralled. As regulations were relaxed it was then possible to move to another form of production within the theatre itself, the latest was the play Private Peaceful, amazing not just in the ability of the actors but in the Barns reconfiguring of the theatre itself. I have been instrumental all along from asking questions in Parliament to repeatedly lobbying Ministers, but credit must go to the Barn Theatre for continually innovating and promoting their worthy case.”