Durham Cathedral to receive £800k from Government’s Culture Recovery Fund

Durham Cathedral has been awarded an £812,200 grant as part of the latest round of the Culture Recovery Fund, which aims to help UK culture, heritage and arts rebound from the pandemic.

Cathedral organisers say the funding will supplement operating costs as visitor numbers and income continue to recover to sustainable levels.

They hope it will "help to deliver a programme of events to engage visitors" and enable them to "build on the success" of Luke Jerram’s Museum of the Moon, which was drew over 100,000 visitors to the cathedral and even more online.

Durham Cathedral has already received over £2.6 million from the fund - £1.9 million in November 2020 and £732,800 in April 2020.

The latest £812,200 represents the cathedral's share of fund's third round, which splits £15.5 million between 140 heritage organisations.

They include Alexandra Park and Palace in London and The British Music Experience in Liverpool.

But the scope of 'round three' extends beyond heritage, with the final £300 million of the government’s £2 billion rescue package going towards protecting various other cultural organisations, such as museums, galleries and theatres.

According to the Government...

"The Culture Recovery Fund has delivered the greatest possible gift to Durham Cathedral – stability and capacity that will allow us to enter 2022 full of optimism," said the Very Reverend Dean of Durham Andrew Tremlett.

"Although the last two years have not been without challenges, generous support from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport and the National Lottery Heritage Fund allowed us to use the time as an opportunity to transform how we work and ensure we continue to be a welcoming and safe space for our community.

The Culture Recovery Fund for Heritage is administered by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, in partnership with Historic England on behalf of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.

Ros Kerslake, Chief Executive, National Lottery Heritage Fund, said:  "This latest round of the Culture Recovery Fund for Heritage provides a welcome Christmas boost for Heritage organisations," said Ros Kerslake, Chief Executive of the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

"With the situation changing daily, the funding will be crucial in helping heritage sites navigate their seasonal activities ensuring the safety of their visitors and their communities.