Mansfield Palace Theatre and Mansfield Museum to get new Government funding

Mansfield District Council has been awarded £123,982 to continue its cultural offering in Mansfield and the surrounding areas.

The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport and Arts Council England announced that 1,385 theatres, arts venues, museums and cultural organisations across England will receive funding.

The aim of the fund is to help maintain England’s rich cultural history by supporting culturally significant organisations which were financially sustainable before Covid-19.

Andy Abrahams, mayor of Mansfield, said: “I am so pleased that the work of the Palace Theatre and Mansfield Museum has been recognised with this important grant from the Government.

"This will allow the town’s venues to continue their community programmes whilst adhering to Covid-19 restrictions.

"The theatre and museum are great assets for the town and I’m sure the people of Mansfield and the surrounding areas will support the activities on offer in the near future”.

Sian Booth cultural services manager, commented, “This grant will help the theatre and museum recover safely and come back stronger than before.

"Since March we’ve continued to bring culture, heritage and creativity to local people in the face of challenging circumstances.

“We’re not out of the woods yet, but this funding represents the start of a slow, safe, phased reawakening of our theatre and museum.

"Our plan includes reviewing our systems and operations, becoming digital-ready and delivering activities with our communities so that the creative lives of local people can thrive in our uncertain landscape.”

Both the theatre and museum will continue to offer a programme of activities during their closure, with further announcements on the projects supported through this fund expected soon.

Mansfield MP Ben Bradley also welcomed news of the funding.

He said: “‘It is great news that Mansfield District Council will receive a share of this money which should go towards helping the museum and the theatre in these hard times.

"Covid-19 has had such a dramatic impact on the arts, so I am really grateful the Government have made this money available.

"The Palace Theatre and our award-winning museum are absolutely vital for our area, and are key local cultural icons that we absolutely must preserve for the future.

"This money will have a really positive impact on these venues and on Mansfield.”