THE CHESER HOUSE ESTATE RECEIVES £719,700 CAPITAL KICKSTART AWARD FROM FIRST ROUND OF CULTURE RECOVERY FUND
The Chester House Estate has received a Capital Kickstart Fund award of £719,700 from the Government’s £1.57 billion Culture Recovery Fund for their restoration project that has been delayed as a result of the pandemic.
This is one of the latest grants, awarded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, on behalf of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, and builds on over £1 billion awarded to a huge range of cultural and heritage organisations from the Culture Recovery Fund last year.
Ambitious projects at 22 heritage organisations, including The Chester House Estate, will benefit from £13.5 million in targeted grants allocated by the National Lottery Heritage Fund to restart planned work that now face delays or increased costs.
The funding will be used for the completion of the £14.5m project – full details of which were announced at the beginning of February – and include the Northamptonshire Archaeological Resource Centre due to open in April, a wellbeing centre, restaurant, farm shop and heritage attraction. The project, which is funded by North Northamptonshire Council, West Northamptonshire Council and the National Lottery Heritage Fund, will be completed in October.
Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said:
“From restoring Georgian lidos and Roman baths to saving local screens and synagogues, our Culture Recovery Fund is helping to save the places people can’t wait to get back to when it is safe to do so.
“All over the country, this funding is protecting the venues that have shaped our history and make us proud of our communities, whilst safeguarding the livelihoods of the people that work in them.”
Jack Pishhorn, Business Manager, The Chester House Estate, said:
“The money from the Culture Recovery Fund has been vital in enabling us to deliver a project that is going to be an incredible asset for the local community as a free to enter attraction and for the preservation of heritage across the county.
“We’ve completely changed the business plan for the site, incorporating exciting elements that will have a huge impact on the post Covid-19 recovery for the area and we have had wonderful feedback on the plans for the community already. A huge thanks to the National Lottery Heritage Fund and DCMS for their ongoing support.”
Ros Kerslake, Chief Executive, National Lottery Heritage Fund, said:
“These are all ongoing major refurbishment and restoration projects, funded by us, which have been threatened by the pandemic. From the oldest surviving outdoor swimming baths to a Victorian pier, and from a much-loved park to an historic abbey, these are all places that will enrich hundreds of lives when they reopen. We are delighted this extra funding from the Culture Recovery Fund will ensure that these exciting projects will go ahead.”
The National Lottery Heritage Fund, along with the BFI, Historic England and Arts Council England, are currently assessing applications for the remaining £400 million in funding from the Culture Recovery Fund, which was held back to allow the Government to support organisations through the Spring and Summer.
Recipients from the first round of the Culture Recovery Fund have contributed stunning images to a curated collection of video-call backgrounds, released today. The public can choose from famous arts venues and heritage sites from Durham Cathedral to the English National Ballet to use as their background and show their support for the cultural sectors. The backgrounds are free to download.