A community arts centre in South Bristol has been given 'lifeline' Government funding to fast-track its community ownership. Zion Bristol in Bedminster Down was at risk of being "lost forever" earlier this year until it was saved after reaching its £230,000 fundraising target to secure its future.
The Government's Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities announced allocations from the second round of the £150 million Community Ownership Fund on December 10. More than 30 pubs, clubs, theatres and other venues at risk of closure around the UK have been saved and placed in the hands of local people using a combined total of £6.67 million of the Government's levelling up funding.
Emma Moore, Outreach Co-ordinator of the centre, said: "It is brilliant, it takes the pressure off of us on the finance side of things with the cost of sales going up and expenses generally going up for an organisation like ours. This has been a real lifeline that we don't have to take a commercial mortgage on the premises and it does mean that we can be community-owned from day one, which is fantastic."
