We are delighted and grateful to have been awarded a grant as part of the Garfield Weston Foundation’s Culture Fund.
The grant will allow us to continue to employ freelance artists and practitioners to deliver creative programmes with our communities. It will support current activities that are taking place on and offline, and allow us to plan and deliver new programmes as restrictions allow. This means people across Stockton and the Tees Valley are able to stay connected to us, to each other and to the brilliant artists we work with.
ARC Stockton is one of more than 100 cultural organisations across the UK receiving support in response to the devastating impact of Covid-19. The one-off fund, which received more than £128 million worth of applications, aimed to support the sector to restart its work, refresh activities and re-engage audiences following Covid-19 closures.
Annabel Turpin, ARC’s Chief Executive, said:
“We know this is an incredibly difficult time for everyone, but the chance to take part in arts and culture can really help improve mental health and wellbeing. This fantastic investment in ARC’s programme means we can continue to offer our communities opportunities for positive, creative and social interaction, providing a lifeline to many. We’re hugely grateful to the Garfield Weston Foundation for their support, not just for ARC but for the wider arts and cultural sector.”
Philippa Charles, Director of the Garfield Weston Foundation, said:
“Our cultural sector is at the heart of our local communities providing not only entertainment but education and inspiration for many. Our Trustees were impressed by the entrepreneurial spirit shown across the arts in response to Covid-19 and it was a privilege to hear what organisations had been doing to not only survive but also to reinvent the way they reach audiences. What really stood out was the level of collaboration and support they had for each other and the determination to keep going, despite the increasingly difficult situation.
We all want and need our cultural sector to thrive and, if anything, our time away from the arts has shown just how important they are to us – bringing much needed pleasure and enrichment to our lives. Arts organisations are desperate to re-open and get back to what they do best, and we hope that this new funding will help many of them do exactly that.”