Wellingborough’s Castle Theater will receive a cash injection after its parent company received a boost from the latest round of the Government’s Culture Recovery Fund.

Parkwood Theaters, which operates the theater, has received £ 620,000, part of which will go to the 503-seat venue and the performing arts complex.

More than 2,700 recipients will benefit from the second round of the £ 1.57 billion Culture Recovery Fund awards and this will ensure the financial stability of the theater as it emerges from foreclosure.

Tony Doherty, Managing Director of Parkwood Theaters, said: “This award which will be shared among all theaters managed by Parkwood is essential to allow us to now focus on re-energizing all of our stages.

“We are delighted that the Council for the Arts has recognized the importance and success of our operations, and are willing to support us in our quest to continue to provide a wide range of cultural opportunities in the cities and regions served by our theaters. “

The other venues at Parkwood Theaters will share the £ 620,000 grant: The Hawth in Crawley, The Hazlitt Theater in Maidstone and The Playhouse Theater in Weston-super-Mare.

The Castle Theater opened in 1995 as a community resource organization on the site of Wellingborough’s Old Cattle Market and has a 503-seat main theater.

A spokesperson for Parkwood Theaters said: “The Covid-19 pandemic has had a particularly profound effect on the arts industries and this funding will provide the financial support needed to offset essential costs as the theater returns to its true capacity. operating.

“Importantly, this means Castle Theater will be able to retain the remaining highly skilled artistic workforce to safely open the theater and begin the recovery.”

More than £ 800million in grants and loans have already been made to support nearly 3,800 cinemas, performance venues, museums, heritage sites and other cultural organizations facing the immediate challenges of the pandemic.

The second round of awards will help organizations anticipate 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 organizations as they return to normal in the months to come.

Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said: “Our record-breaking Culture Recovery Fund has already helped thousands of cultural and heritage organizations across the country survive the world’s greatest crisis. that they have never faced.

“Now we stand by their side as they prepare to welcome audiences once again through their doors – helping our cultural gems plan to reopen and thrive in the best times to come.”

Sir Nicholas Serota, Chairman of Arts Council England, said: “Investing in a thriving cultural sector at the heart of communities is a critical part of helping the whole country recover from the pandemic.

“These grants will help reopen theaters, concert halls and museums and give artists and businesses the opportunity to start creating new works.

“We are grateful to the government for this support and for recognizing the overarching importance of culture to our sense of belonging and identity as individuals and as a society.

Funding has been provided by Arts Council England, as well as Historic England and National Lottery Heritage Fund and the British Film Institute