#HereForCulture

• Almost 450 heritage organisations in England have been awarded cash from the first round of the Culture Recovery Fund for Heritage
• Grants of up to £1 million will deliver a lifeline for the heritage sector in England with further support to follow and larger grants for capital projects awarded through the Heritage Stimulus Fund
• First major tranche of funding from the Government’s £1.57 billion Culture Recovery Fund

Pashley Manor Gardens, a family-owned historic garden on the border of East Sussex and Kent, is one of 445 heritage organisations across the country set to receive a lifesaving financial boost from the government thanks to the £1.57 billion Culture Recovery Fund to help them through the coronavirus pandemic.   These 445 organisations will share £103 million to help restart vital reconstruction work and maintenance on cherished heritage sites, keeping venues open and supporting those working in the sector.

Pashley Manor Gardens has been extremely fortunate to be awarded a grant which will enable the garden team to continue through the winter getting the gardens ready to re-open next season, for work to continue in the historic walled Kitchen Garden, for much needed improvements to outdoor tables and chairs and for crucial planning on how to safely continue to welcome visitors and hold events going forwards.

This vital funding is from the Culture Recovery Fund for Heritage and the Heritage Stimulus Fund – funded by Government and administered at arms length by Historic England and the National Lottery Heritage Fund. Both funds are part of the Government’s £1.57 billion Culture Recovery Fund which is designed to secure the future of Britain’s museums, galleries, theatres, independent cinemas, heritage sites and music venues with emergency grants and loans.

433 organisations will receive a share of £67 million from the Culture Recovery Fund for Heritage to help with costs for operating, reopening and recovery. This includes famous heritage sites across the country, from Wentworth Woodhouse in Yorkshire to Blackpool’s Winter Gardens, Blyth Tall Ship to the Severn Valley Railway, the International Bomber Command Centre in Lincolnshire to the Piecehall in Halifax. The funds will save sites that are a source of pride for communities across the country.

12 organisations, including English Heritage, Landmark Trust, Historic Royal Palaces and the Canal and River Trust, will receive £34 million from the Heritage Stimulus Fund to restart construction and maintenance on cherished heritage sites to preserve visitor attractions and protect livelihoods for some of the most vulnerable heritage specialists and contractors in the sector.

The Architectural Heritage Fund (AHF) has also been awarded a grant from the Culture Recovery Fund through Historic England. The AHF will use the funding to support charities and social enterprises occupying historic buildings to develop new business plans and strategies for organisations affected by the pandemic.

Mr and Mrs James Sellick, owners of Pashley Manor say the award will be a lifeline ‘after the devastating impact of lockdown on our visitor numbers earlier this year, it will be a huge relief to receive this support so that we and our team can continue to care for and maintain this historic landscape and continue to share it with our visitors.  We are grateful to the Department of Culture, Media and Sport, Historic England and the National Lottery Heritage Fund for this much needed funding and we very much look forward to preparing the gardens to once again welcome visitors from 1^st April next year’.

Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said:

“As a nation it is essential that we preserve our heritage and celebrate and learn from our past. This massive support package will protect our shared heritage for future generations, save jobs and help us prepare for a cultural bounceback post covid.”

Duncan Wilson, Historic England’s Chief Executive said:

“It is heartening to see grants, both large and small, from the Government’s Culture Recovery Fund helping heritage sites and organisations across the country which have been hit hard by the effects of Covid-19. These grants range from giving skilled craft workers the chance to keep their trades alive to helping heritage organisations pay the bills, and to kick-starting repair works at our best-loved historic sites. The funding is an essential lifeline for our heritage and the people who work tirelessly to conserve it for us all, so that we can hand it on to future generations.”

Ros Kerslake, Chief Executive of the National Lottery Heritage Fund said:

“It is absolutely right that investing in heritage should be a priority during this crisis and this support by Government is crucial.  Heritage creates jobs and economic prosperity, is a major driver for tourism and makes our towns, cities, and rural areas better places to live.  All of this is so important for our wellbeing and will be particularly vital when we start to emerge from this incredibly difficult time.

“Our heritage is still facing a perilous future – we are not out of the woods yet.  But this hugely welcome funding from Government, and the money we continue to invest from the National Lottery, has undoubtedly stopped heritage and the organisations that care for it being permanently lost.”

For more information on the gardens, and to follow how the grant will be used, you can find Pashley Manor Gardens on social media via the links below:

www.pashleymanorgardens.com

www.facebook.com/PashleyManorGardens

www.twitter.com/PashleyManorGdn

www.instagram.com/pashleymanorgardens