All Saints’ Church, Westbury is delighted to announce that it is to receive £24,400 from the second round of the Government’s Culture Recovery Fund
All Saints’ Church is among more than 2,700 recipients to benefit from the latest round of awards from the £1.57 billion Culture Recovery Fund
This award will support All Saints’ Church to provide a welcoming space for visitors, engage more with the local community and support their long term financial sustainability.
Over the next few months the grant will fund
- essential repairs to the roof and rainwater goods
- clear out and tidy up of the interior
- cleaning of curtains
- essential safety tests
- refreshed interpretation information to help visitors learn more about the church
- new exterior signs in the churchyard
- new internal noticeboards
- prepare for events and activities from July onwards when the church can be open more for community events
All Saints’ Church is the ancient parish church of Westbury and has served its community for over 1,000 years. It is a key part of the visitor economy as a visitor attraction and provides a community space for all. The grant will allow some essential repairs and provide improved interpretation and information to help visitors to the church know more about its history and stories. The money will also enable opportunities for volunteers from across Westbury to be involved in the works. Please contact Beth Thomas, Churchwarden [email protected] if you would like to get involved.
Nearly £400 million has been awarded to thousands of cultural organisations across the country including All Saints’ Church Westbury in the latest round of support from the Culture Recovery Fund, the Culture Secretary announced today.
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.
This brings the Government’s total investment across grants, capital and repayable finance from the Culture Recovery Fund so far to more than £1.2 billion across over 5,000 individual cultural and heritage organisations and sites.
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.
“We are absolutely delighted that the Parish of Westbury has received this generous grant from the Cultural Recovery Fund. This will help us to make some essential repairs and improvements to the church to be able to welcome visitors to our beautiful building and help us towards a more sustainable future. The last year has been very difficult for us and we have been especially sad not to be able to welcome people into our building on a daily basis as we have done in the past. This money will help us to prepare to welcome many more people when we are permitted to once more.”
Rev’d Rebecca Harris, Team Rector
“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.
Culture Secretary, Oliver Dowden
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.”
“Spring is definitely here, bringing not only sunshine but that sense of optimism and hope for the future. We are all looking forward to heritage places and other visitor attractions reopening and I am very pleased that we have been able to support DCMS in delivering this vital funding to ensure the UK’s heritage sector can rebuild and thrive, boosting local economies, creating jobs and supporting personal wellbeing.”
Ros Kerslake, CEO of The National Lottery Heritage Fund
“The value of our heritage sites and the people who run them has been amply demonstrated, as they have provided an anchor for so many of us through the dark days of the last year. Vital grants from the Culture Recovery Fund have helped them survive and will now help them recover, as the places we all cherish start to reopen in the months ahead.”
Duncan Wilson, Chief Executive of Historic England
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 the National Lottery Heritage Fund and Historic England as well as the British Film Institute and Arts Council England