South Shields' Customs House welcomes £255,000 'lifeline'

Bosses at a South Tyneside arts venue say they are "relieved" after being awarded a £255,000 "lifeline" amidst the coronavirus pandemic.

The Customs House, in South Shields, is one of hundreds of organisations to benefit from the £1.57bn Culture Recovery Fund.

It was forced to close for five months earlier this year and more than 200 performances have been cancelled.

Last month it announced 27 of its 45 staff would lose their jobs.

Lockdown and social distancing guidelines have hit the charity's revenue.

Theatre audiences have been reduced from a capacity of 439 to between 102 to 172, depending on bubble sizes, while its cinema capacity has reduced from 140 to 42.

The organisation described it as a "lifeline grant".

Customs House executive director Ray Spencer said: "We are both relieved and delighted to have received this support - delighted for the people of South Tyneside and relieved that this grant will support our remaining staff through a very difficult winter and hopefully give us the springboard to serve our community."

Sir Nicholas Serota, chair of Arts Council England which is administering the fund on behalf of the government, said the money would "help hundreds of organisations to survive the next few months, ensuring that the cultural sector can bounce back after the crisis".

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