Cultural organisations across the South West of England have been awarded £111m over the next three years by Arts Council England (ACE).
A total of 117 galleries, venues, museums and libraries across the region such as the Bristol Beacon and the Royal Albert Memorial Museum in Exeter will receive £37m in grants every year between 2023 and 2026.
ACE’s portfolio has been extended with new recipients of funding including Bristol-based performance arts group Trigger Productions - which was behind the large-scale dragon puppet that appeared in the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee procession.
The charitable body, which operates at arm’s length from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, said there had been “clear focus” on ensuring investment was concentrated in places that have historically been underserved.
ACE said culture places in Gloucester, North Devon, Swindon and North Somerset would receive £18.4m over the next three years.
Arts Council England chair, Sir Nicholas Serota, said: “We are facing economic pressures at present, but this funding is about an investment in our future. This portfolio will support the next generation of visionary inventors, makers, performers and artists. In particular, the growth of our funding for organisations that support and develop work for children represents a profoundly important long-term investment in our country’s talent.”
Culture secretary Michelle Donelan added: “Additional funding into the South West’s cultural institutions will help improve access to the arts for people where they live. We have been clear that the arts are for everyone and this investment will help even more people get access to the region’s brilliant cultural offer.”
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