Cheltenham Festivals; Cinderford Artspace and Air in G in the Forest of Dean; Create Gloucestershire; the Everyman Theatre; Gloucester Culture Trust; Gloucester Guildhall; Gloucestershire Libraries; Strike A Light; Stroud Valleys Artspace; Soumik Datta Arts in Stroud; and Prema Arts Centre in Uley will all receive funding from Arts Council England and become new 'National Portfolio Organisations'.
Investing £446 million in 990 organisations across England between 2023 and 2026, Arts Council England said each organisation is being recognised for excellence, innovation and leadership in the arts, with Arts Council continuing to support iconic organisations such as the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, alongside 'organisations in places all too often overlooked' with its latest round of awards, revealed on Friday 4 November 2022.
Gloucester Guildhall revealed that its investment will be £250,000 a year, which will allow it to host workshops, masterclasses and programmes that 'enable communities from across the city to develop and showcase new skills in dance, circus, live music and performance', as well as holding pop-up events in its newly refurbished café bar.
While Cheltenham Festivals described the award as 'a small, but invaluable part' of its core funding, which will enable it to continue working towards its vision of a world where everyone can explore and create culture, in spite of our challenging economic situation.
Cheltenham Festivals Co-CEO, Ali Mawle, said: 'We’re thrilled Arts Council England has recognised the value of our work through their regular NPO funding for the next three years. The competition for grants was exceptionally high so this is a testament to the quality and impact of our work. We will continue working in partnership to create a world where everyone can explore and create culture through our Festivals and year-round learning and participation and talent development programmes.'
Councillor Andy Lewis, cabinet member for culture and leisure at Gloucester City Council, which runs Gloucester Guildhall, said: 'We’re delighted that the work of the Guildhall has been recognised through this investment from the Arts Council. Combined with the support of the city council, being a National Portfolio Organisation will help the Guildhall go from strength to strength, and bring more live music, performance, dance and film to the city. Audiences will be better served by experiencing high-quality work and artists will have a platform from which to present new work. This is fantastic news for the city.'
