It has been announced that Brass Bands England is to receive £127,000 from the third round of the Government's Culture Recovery Fund

Brass Bands England (BBE) is among 925 recipients to benefit from the £300 million final round of awards released today, application details of which were initially announced on 25th June.

To date over 5000 organisations and sites have been awarded Culture Recovery Fund awards amounting to over £840 million.

It follows the first round Cultural Recovery award made to BBE of £227,000 and a second round award of £43,000, bringing support to the organisation to a total of just under £400,000.

Fully reopen

The third round award will enable BBE to support the brass banding sector in England to fully reopen and engage with audiences and communities.

It is understood that funds will support a restructure, which is currently taking place to help the organisation better respond to the needs of its members and the wider banding community.

Funds will also enable the employment of freelance content creators to provide new resources for bands of all shapes, sizes and abilities.

Specific additional activity will include digital resources and training around equality, diversity and inclusion within brass bands and their audiences.

Improvements

In addition, training and services will continue to be made available online, as well as in person, in order to remain accessible to as many people as possible in bands across the country.

There will also be improvements to the BBE website in order to make it easier for members to access vital member support services quickly and efficiently.

This news follows on from recent funding announcements on improved BBE member services and plans to support bands via a new grant-writing service.

Culture for everyone

In speaking about this round of funding, 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.

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."

We are hugely grateful to Arts Council England for supporting the next stage of our journey, which will help bands to engage with their communities and with a diverse range of audiences in safe and inclusive waysBBE

Fantastic

In response to the news, Mike Kilroy, Chair of Brass Bands England, said: "It's so fantastic to see brass bands performing in public again, but many are still navigating the challenges of COVID-19.

We are hugely grateful to Arts Council England for supporting the next stage of our journey, which will help bands to engage with their communities and with a diverse range of audiences in safe and inclusive ways.

It's time to get the general public enjoying bands again!"

Continued investment

Meanwhile, Darren Henley, Chief Executive, Arts Council England, added: "This continued investment 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".