We are #HereForCulture
Our Thanks to the Culture Recovery Fund for Heritage
“Pre-pandemic, Newcastle Castle was a highly successful, self-funding charitable operation. We were open 7 days per week, 362 days per year as a family-friendly visitor attraction receiving 35,000 plus visitors both foreign and national, over 5000 school pupils visits as part of our learning offer and holding around 70 night-time cultural events. We were putting the castle back into Newcastle as part of the lifeblood of the city.
We had to close to the public in mid-March. As a small charity, operations rely pre-dominantly on earned income to survive and pursue our charitable objectives. We have always strived to be viable, without the need for external funding. Although we re-opened our doors on 24th July visitor numbers are much lower than previous years and many income-generating areas of operations cannot be re-opened safely yet. We expect this to continue for some time ahead.
The funding that we have received from the Culture Recovery Fund for Heritage is a lifeline to us. It will allow us to adapt and bolster our operations, support schools in their work and see ourselves into the main 2021 visitor season and beyond giving us vital time to re-establish levels of business and re-open other areas of operations, if it is safe to do so.”
Ben Smith, CEO, The Heart of the City Partnership, Newcastle Castle.
#HereForCulture
Culture creates jobs, supports livelihoods, and brings joy to everyone. The UK leads the world in the creative industries and we can all feel pride in that. Now, in these challenging times, it’s our turn to show our support for culture. With an unprecedented investment through the £1.57bn Cultural Recovery Fund, the government is #HereForCulture so it can weather the storm of coronavirus and come back stronger. And we are #HereForCulture too. #HereForCulture is a movement that unites the public, government and cultural organisations in support of our fantastic cinemas, theatres, music venues, museums, galleries and heritage. We want people to make sure that where they are able to visit local culture venues in their communities, they do so in a covid secure way. Plus, with more and more culture being curated online, there is no better time to support and enjoy all the new and exciting ways culture is available to us. By being #HereForCulture, we aren’t just supporting the people in the industry, we’re also supporting communities across the country.