Thames Festival Trust Secures Arts Council Culture Recovery Fund Grant

Thames Festival Trust in London has received a grant of £59,562 from the Government's £1.57 billion Culture Recovery Fund to help the organisation recover and continue through these difficult times.

More than £300 million has been awarded to thousands of cultural organisations across the country including Thames Festival Trust in the latest round of support from the Culture Recovery Fund, the Culture Secretary announced today.

Launched in 1997 with a Guinness World Record setting tight rope walk across the Thames, Thames Festival Trust has captivated Londoners and travellers alike with river-related culture and events via their festival Totally Thames.

Alongside the annual festival, they produce projects that delve into the rich heritage and archaeology of the River Thames, building a collage of how London and the river developed. Giving an aural and visual document of what it was like to live there through history.

Their education programmes, Rivers of the World and The Story of Water, give them the opportunity to reach out to schools across the world, placing artists in schools to produce river-related art with students and teachers.

This grant will help Thames Festival Trust with ongoing organisational costs as well as support the development of our projects goals and digital tools to be more inclusive and reach further into the community.

Over £800 million in grants and loans has already been awarded to support almost 3,800 cinemas, performance venues, museums, heritage sites and other cultural organisations dealing with the immediate challenges of the coronavirus pandemic.

The second round of awards made today will help organisations to look ahead to the spring and summer and plan for reopening and recovery. After months of closures and cancellations to contain the virus and save lives, this funding will be a much-needed helping hand for organisations transitioning back to normal in the months ahead.

Culture Secretary, Oliver Dowden, said:

"Our record-breaking Culture Recovery Fund has already helped thousands of culture and heritage organisations across the country survive the biggest crisis they've ever faced.

Now we're staying by their side as they prepare to welcome the public back through their doors - helping our cultural gems plan for reopening and thrive in the better times ahead."

Festival Director, Adrian Evans, said:

"Our award from Arts Council England's Culture Recovery Fund is a really significant lifeline for us - it's a massive morale-booster - we can now plan for commissions and collaborations in a post-lockdown world."

Sir Nicholas Serota, Chair, Arts Council England, said:

"Investing in a thriving cultural sector at the heart of communities is a vital part of helping the whole country to recover from the pandemic. These grants will help to re-open theatres, concert halls, and museums and will give artists and companies the opportunity to begin making new work.

We are grateful to the Government for this support and for recognising the paramount importance of culture to our sense of belonging and identity as individuals and as a society."

The funding awarded on Friday 2nd of April 2021 is from a £400 million pot which was held back last year to ensure the Culture Recovery Fund could continue to help organisations in need as the public health picture changed. The funding has been awarded by Arts Council England, as well as Historic England and National Lottery Heritage Fund and the British Film Institute.