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West England arts groups to get share of £111m pot

Still Moving Media Cheltenham FestivalStill Moving Media
Some of the funding will be used to target areas that have historically been underserved, the council said

Arts organisations across west England are set to get a share of £37m annually in government cash.

In comes after Arts Council England announced its National Portfolio for funded organisations from 2023 to 2026.

The £111m total will be shared among 117 groups across the south west, including ones in Gloucestershire, Bristol, Somerset and Wiltshire.

The council's chair Sir Nicholas Serota says the funding "will help ignite creativity across the country".

"We are facing economic pressures at present, but this funding is about an investment in our future," he said.

"This portfolio will support the next generation of visionary inventors, makers, performers and artists.

"In particular, the growth of our funding for organisations that support and develop work for children represents a profoundly important long-term investment in our country's talent."

Leo Davy Somerset Art WorksLeo Davy
Somerset Art Works is one of the groups receiving funding from the council

Arts organisations, museums, and libraries in every corner of the south west will benefit, the council said.

Recipients include Bristol's Asian Arts Fund, Cheltenham Festival in Gloucestershire, Pound Arts Centre in Corsham and Somerset Art Works in Langford.

The council said the fund had a "clear focus on ensuring that investment is concentrated in those places that, historically, have been underserved".

The government's Levelling Up for Culture Places in the south west will focus on areas including Gloucester, Swindon and North Somerset which will receive a share of an £18.4m pot, as part of the £111m, over the next three years.

Dominika Scheibinger Performers at the Asian Arts Fund in BristolDominika Scheibinger
Musicians and artists are among a variety of performers who are set to benefit from the funding

Phil Gibby - the council's area director - said the funding meant that "no matter who you are, or where you live, there will now be more opportunities than ever before to take part in creativity, be inspired, and share the joy and pride that a performance or an exhibition can bring".

Culture secretary Michelle Donelan echoed this and claimed that the additional funding into the south west's cultural institutions "will help improve access to the arts for people where they live".

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