The boss of Ayr's Gaiety Theatre has tonight spoken of his relief after the organisation landed a critical cash injection.
Jeremy Wyatt said money received from Creative Scotland would safeguard all 14 jobs at the iconic venue through the winter.
The Gaiety will receive £250,000 via the Scottish Government’s Performing Arts Venues Relief Fund.
And CEO Mr Wyatt admits the money will pull his theatre back from the brink of some very tough decisions over the coming months.
Speaking to the Ayrshire Post , he said: "This has saved the jobs within this theatre, be in no doubt about that.
"Every member of staff was at threat of being laid off until this morning - that's how critical the situation was.
"The theatre wasn't going to go bust or see its doors shut, we had ensured that was the case.
"But we had reached the point where keeping the building warm over winter was about all we could realistically achieve."
Mr Wyatt said cash from the relief fund will now be used on a "range of community projects" to keep the theatre's brand alive.
And "creating something really special in Ayr for Christmas" will focus minds on the Gaiety's team over the coming months.
"We have a fabulous creative engagement team who will be hard at work," said Mr Wyatt.
"This money will also allow us to have a number of engagements with freelancers as we move forward."
The Gaiety is amongst 59 venues across Scotland sharing a total of £4.74million from the Fund.
Iain Munro, CEO, Creative Scotland, said: "Despite the ongoing, detrimental impact that the Covid-19 pandemic is having on Scotland’s performing arts venues, and on culture as a whole, it is positive that we can offer some funding to help venues navigate these extremely challenging times.
"I’m also encouraged to see that this funding will help venues across many different parts of Scotland where they form such an important part of the cultural life of local communities."
PICK UP NEXT WEEK'S AYRSHIRE POST FOR THE FULL INTERVIEW WITH GAIETY CEO JEREMY WYATT
