The SS Great Britain Trust is extremely grateful to receive important funding from the third round of the Government’s Culture Recovery Fund, which will help the charitable Trust to deliver important programmes and essential maintenance over the winter months.
The Trust is among 925 recipients to benefit from the latest round of awards from the fund and will receive a grant of £429,705.
During lockdowns, education activities including the Trust’s flagship Future Brunels programme were significantly impacted and adapted. Now, it is more important than ever before to inspire the next generation of engineers and entrepreneurs, by delivering the immersive experiences that education and community engagement programmes offer.
The funding will also enable the Trust to carry out essential maintenance and care for the historic ship, providing greater stability through the winter months when tourist numbers are lower.
Brunel’s SS Great Britain was recently accredited with Visit England’s ‘Welcome Accolade’ 2020-21 as well as TripAdvisor’s 2021 Travellers’ Choice award. The Trust is extremely grateful for the support from visitors, members and funders, enabling it to continue to open year-round, offering vital museum and heritage experiences including a new ‘Global Passenger Stories’ trail and authentic Victorian Christmas weekends.
Speaking today, the SS Great Britain Trust’s Director of External Affairs, Nerys Watts, said:
“We are privileged to look after a unique part of our national heritage, one of the most important and innovative ships ever built and nationally important collections. The funding will enable the Trust to build on our successful STEM education programmes and exciting visitor experiences, providing not only a fun day out, but also inspiring future engineers and innovators.”
About the Culture Recovery Fund
- More than £100 million has been awarded to hundreds of cultural organisations across the country including the SS Great Britain Trust in the latest round of support from the Culture Recovery Fund, announced by the Culture Secretary on 19 November 2021.
- The third round of funding will support organisations from all corners of the sector as they deal with ongoing reopening challenges, ensuring they can thrive in better times ahead.
- Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries said:
“Culture is for everyone and should therefore be accessible to everyone, no matter who they are and where they’re from.”
“Through unprecedented government financial support, the Culture Recovery Fund is supporting arts and cultural organisations so they can continue to bring culture to communities the length and breadth of the country, supporting jobs, boosting local economies and inspiring people.”
- Over £1.2 billion has already been awarded from the unprecedented Culture Recovery Fund, supporting around 5000 individual organisations and sites across the country ranging from local museums to West End theatres, grassroots music venues to festivals, and organisations in the cultural and heritage supply-chains.
- Darren Henley, Chief Executive, Arts Council England, said:
“This continued investment from the Government on an unprecedented scale means our theatres, galleries, music venues, museums and arts centres can carry on playing their part in bringing visitors back to our high streets, helping to drive economic growth, boosting community pride and promoting good health. It’s a massive vote of confidence in the role our cultural organisations play in helping us all to lead happier lives.”
- Arts Council England is the national development agency for creativity and culture. We have set out our strategic vision in Let’s Create that by 2030 we want England to be a country in which the creativity of each of us is valued and given the chance to flourish and where everyone of us has access to a remarkable range of high quality cultural experiences. We invest public money from Government and The National Lottery to help support the sector and to deliver this vision.
- Following the Covid-19 crisis, the Arts Council developed a £160 million Emergency Response Package, with nearly 90% coming from the National Lottery, for organisations and individuals needing support. We are also one of the bodies administering the Government’s unprecedented Culture Recovery Funds. Find out more at: artscouncil.org.uk/covid19
