Grants to help Mansfield's museum and theatre get back on their feet

Mansfield Museum and the Palace Theatre, both on Leeming Street, have been long-standing victims of lockdown and Covid restrictions, costing them thousands of pounds in revenue.

But the venues have now been awarded £60,080 as part of the government’s Culture Recovery Fund, worth a total of £1.57 billion.

More than 2,700 cultural and creative organisations across the country are to receive a share of £400 million as part of the second round of grants from the fund.

In Nottinghamshire. 54 organisations have been selected to get £5.2 million, with Creswell Crags Heritage Trust also in line for £279,766 to boost its collections, caves and museum.

The funding will help the gradual re-opening of Mansfield’s museum and Palace Theatre, including youth theatre work and socially-distanced events.

It will also help it to finance the recruitment of a freelance producer to support a digital and temporary programme of exhibitions.

The museum plans to get back to normal by hosting exhibitions, community projects and education programmes.

The Palace hopes to return to life with a schedule of youth and amateur theatre, its annual pantomime and local dance schools.

The grants have been announced by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. They have been awarded through the Arts Council England organisation.

Mansfield District Council confirmed to the Chad that the money had been offered, and acceptance was likely to be rubber-stamped at a council meeting this Friday.

It would cover operations at the two venues between this month and June, and would provide a significant boost to the town centre as it steadily re-opened in full.

A breakdown of the £60,080 shows that a large chunk of it, £13,800, will go on the recruitment of the producer, with £7,200 to be spent on a ‘youth theatre digital festival’ and £6,000 to be spent on marketing.

The grant will also go towards the training of staff and volunteers, cultural activities and re-locating the theatre’s stage door and kitchen.