The Courtyard Receives Vital Emergency Grant

Arts Council England Emergency Covid-19 Response Fund Announcement

The Courtyard Hereford Receives Vital Funding To Secure Future 

The Courtyard Hereford has received vital support from Arts Council England (ACE) in response to its closure caused by the Covid-19 crisis.

The Arts Council has today, 7 July 2020, announced an investment of over £33 million in 196 of its National Portfolio Organisations (NPOs), via a short-term emergency fund that was specifically designed to help those organisations that needed financial support to stay afloat until the end of September, because of the impact of Covid-19.

The Courtyard will receive £80,000 from the Emergency Response Fund.

This additional funding will help protect The Courtyard’s short-term survival until September 2020. Following our closure in March 2020, 94% of our income was lost through ticket sales, events and Café Bar income overnight; as well as facing thousands of refunds.

Currently unable to re-open for live performances due to social distancing regulations, this funding will help to secure The Courtyard’s future until Covid-19 is under control.

Ian Archer, Chief Executive and Artistic Director, said:

“Covid-19 is having a devastating effect on arts and culture throughout the country and The Courtyard plays an incredibly important part of the social fabric and cultural life of Herefordshire. Throughout this pandemic, we have seen the need and value of arts and culture in our daily lives and we are absolutely delighted that this grant from Arts Council England will help to sustain The Courtyard into the future, until we can return to our beloved venue.”

Announced in March 2020, the Arts Council’s £160 million Emergency Response Package is designed to help alleviate the immediate pressures faced by artists, creative practitioners, arts organisations, museums, and libraries over the summer – supporting them as they continue to serve their communities during this crisis and affording them the time to stabilise and plan for the future.

On 5 July 2020, the government announced an unprecedented one-off £1.57bn support package for arts and culture in addition to Arts Council England’s immediate emergency measures. This package recognises the need for further support for the whole sector until physical distancing measures no longer apply.

We are over the moon, but it is only the first step. There is a long road to recovery ahead of us. We still need all the support we can get, to help secure The Courtyard’s future visit www.courtyard.org.uk/supportus

The Arts Council will use the remaining budget from this emergency programme to complement the Government’s recently announced £1.57 billion rescue package and help ensure as much of our vital cultural sector survives as possible.

Darren Henley, Chief Executive, Arts Council England, said: “Since the outbreak of Covid-19, our main priority has been to ensure that as much of our country’s cultural ecology as possible survives the summer – from individual artists and freelancers, to museums, libraries and arts organisations, both large and small, located in every corner of the country.

“This investment, made possible thanks to National Lottery players, provides critical relief to valued cultural organisations that faced immediate financial disaster before September. We know that massive challenges remain in the Autumn, and we’ll use the rest of our available funds, alongside the Government funding just announced, to support our sector in the coming months.”

Sir Nicholas Serota, Chair, Arts Council England, said: “Culture, creativity and the arts are a fundamental part of our country’s identity – they bring joy, fulfilment and shared experience and help boost people’s health and wellbeing. Our National Portfolio Organisations play a crucial role in providing opportunities for people across England to enjoy culture, and this funding will ensure that they are able to continue their work through the summer.

“We’re grateful for the support of our colleagues at DCMS and HM Treasury as we’ve worked together to help our sector – and look forward to continuing this collaboration as we establish the next steps in making the best possible use of the Government’s very significant rescue package to secure the future of arts, culture and heritage in this country.”

Culture Minister Caroline Dinenage said: “I have been hugely impressed by how well the arts and cultural sector have come up with innovative ways to keep audiences entertained and engaged from the comfort and safety of their front rooms over the last few months.

“The Emergency Response Fund has helped to support thousands of artists and organisations through the immediate impact of the coronavirus pandemic and our new £1.57 billion support package will help safeguard the future of this important sector.”