Big Durham festivals such as Lumiere and Brass are set to receive a helping hand following the announcement of upcoming Arts Council funding.
Durham Book Festival - another crowd-puller for the area - is also among the events which can expect a boost thanks to investment earmarked for 2023-2026. Over that period, Arts Council England will award Durham County Council almost £1.6m - an increase of £117,636 a year from its previous allocation - to support culture and benefit local communities.
It comes thanks to the council's success in its bid for funding which sees it chosen to be one of the Art Council's 'national portfolio' organisations, with County Durham singled out as an area for focused investment. And it means organisations across the county will be supported to deliver key cultural events and attractions such as biennial light festival Lumiere.
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Among others successful in their bids for Arts Council funding are Beamish Museum and The Bowes Museum.
The likes of the book festival, Durham Brass and Lumiere provide a big boost to the visitor economy as the county continues to raise its cultural profile with ongoing work including a major extension to the former DLI museum and art gallery to create a regional exhibition and cultural venue.
In further good news, the area is to benefit from a separate share of funding following the Government announcement that the North East has been chosen as one of six regions to receive £1.2m through its Create Growth Programme to support creative businesses.
Coun Elizabeth Scott, cabinet member for economy and partnerships, said: “We are delighted to have been successful in our bid and would like to express our thanks to Arts Council England for its continued support for the county, in particular this year as a 'priority place' for investment.
"We will use this funding to achieve our ambitions of building our profile as the culture county, continue growing our festivals to make them even more relevant and accessible to our communities, and to support talent and skills to grow jobs in the cultural economy." She also congratulated local partners on their own successful bids which will combine to "boost the profile of the county and ensure creative opportunities for our communities".
The likes of Redhills Durham Miners Hall, TIN Arts, The Forge, Northern Heartlands, National Youth Choirs of Great Britain and the Association for Cultural Enterprises - also partners of the council - are among the successful applicants.
Alison Paterson, from Blackhall Community Centre - a key supporter of the county’s recent UK City of Culture bid - said: “It is great to see County Durham selected as a priority place for cultural investment and that so many organisations and attractions have been successful in this funding.
“We know how important culture is to people’s wellbeing, in particular within grassroots communities." She said the funding will help to create more cultural opportunities, bringing people together.
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