Historic London venues including the Royal Albert Hall, Alexandra Palace and Southbank Centre are among the beneficiaries of the latest round of Culture Recovery Fund (CRF) spending, as the scheme marks a milestone £1 billion in funding allocated.

The Royal Albert Hall (5,272-cap.) and Southbank Centre, along with organisations such as the English National Opera, Royal Shakespeare Company and National Theatre, were awarded a share of £165 million in low-interest repayable finance, with the Albert Hall receiving a total of £20.74 million from the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and Arts Council England (ACE).

Hall CEO Craig Hassall says the loan is a “lifeline” that will enable the Victorian arena “restore our minimum reserves and operating finances to a level comparable to before the pandemic struck”.

Elsewhere, a number of venues across the country are receiving grants from the £60m Capital Kickstart Fund. They include the Alexandra Palace, which has been awarded £2,967,600 to enable its 10,400-capacity Great Hall to “continue with a diverse programme of live, Covid-secure events this winter”, and new Manchester arts venue the Factory, which receives £21m towards its completion.

“As well as providing a multi-use space for diverse arts activity,” the Factory will be the permanent home for Manchester International Festival, “which attracts visitors to the city from across the country and creates opportunities for creative freelancers,” reads a statement from DCMS and UK culture minister Oliver Dowden CBE.

“The £1 billion invested so far through the Culture Recovery Fund has protected tens of thousands of jobs”

“Over the last nine months we’ve worked non-stop to make sure we can open the doors safely and keep the parkland well maintained to provide vital green space,” says Louise Stewart, CEO of Alexandra Park and Palace Charitable Trust. “There are many challenges ahead, but for now at least, thanks to this funding, we have some time and resource to deliver our route to recovery.”

The latest grants and loans come as the government makes plans to allocate the final £400 million of the £1.57 billion CRF. Further details of the final round, comprising £300m in grants and £100m loans to help companies “transition back to usual operating mode from April 2021”, will be announced shortly.

According to Dowden, some funding was held back in previous rounds (to enable authorities to assess the “changing public health picture”), and will also be made available to organisations at “imminent risk of collapse before the end of this financial year” in April.

“This government promised it would be here for culture, and today’s announcement is proof we’ve kept our word,” says the culture secretary. “The £1 billion invested so far through the Culture Recovery Fund has protected tens of thousands of jobs at cultural organisations across the UK, with more support still to come through a second round of applications.

“Today we’re extending a huge helping hand to the crown jewels of UK culture, so that they can continue to inspire future generations all around the world.”

More information about the CRF is available from the Gov.UK website.

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Designs for a new 7,300 capacity £110m arts venue in Manchester have been given the go-ahead as a staple of the city’s club scene, Sankeys, closes its doors for good.

Manchester’s city council has approved plans for a music, theatre, art and cultural venue called The Factory, reports the MEN. It will be run by the Manchester International Festival. £78m of that £110m budget will be Government-funded and the centre will be designed by the OMA studio of architect Rem Koolhass.

The Factory (pictured above) will contain two performance spaces in one warehouse area hosting 5,000 people for standing events, plus a theatre holding 1,600 seated and 2,300 standing. It opens in 2020.

Sankeys, a 1,200 capacity club located in the inner city area of Ancoats, has opened and closed a number of times over the last two decades. Now it has closed its doors for good as the building it occupies, Beehive Mill, has been sold to a residential developer.

Live acts and DJs to have played Sankeys Manchester include The Chemical Brothers, Daft Punk, Danny Tenaglia and Todd Terry. It encompasses the main Basement room, smaller room Spektrum, an outdoor terrace and a bar with a cinema attached. The club is owned by owner of the Sankeys brand, David Sankey.

“It is with great regret and with a very heavy heart, we must close Sankeys Manchester with immediate effect. When you look around Ancoats you’ll see new apartment blocks and new developments throughout the area, we have done well to fend off the developers for so long.”

“It is with great regret and with a very heavy heart, we must close Sankeys Manchester with immediate effect,” reads a Facebook post. “When you look around Ancoats you’ll see new apartment blocks and new developments throughout the area, we have done well to fend off the developers for so long.” Sankey is currently looking into options for a new site that replicates the Basement room and Spektrum.

A serious of pop-up events inclusive of existing bookings and shows yet to be announced will take place in various Manchester venues, the first of which is Sonny Fodera at Gorilla on the February 11. Sankeys Ibiza and Sankeys TYO in Tokyo will continue to stay open, as will brand new venue Sankeys East in London, with a Sankeys Birmingham set to arrive in March.
 

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