Lakeland Arts will receive hundreds of thousands of pounds from the Government’s Covid-19 recovery funds.

The organisation will receive £348,783 from the third round of the Culture Recovery Fund.

Lakeland Arts, which operates the Windermere Jetty Museum, Blackwell – the Arts and Crafts house, and Abbot Hall in Cumbria are among 925 recipients to benefit from the latest Culture Recovery Fund allocations.

More than £100 million has been awarded to hundreds of cultural organisations across the country in the latest round of support, the Culture Secretary announced on November 19.

This award will go towards essential operating costs and overheads to bridge the winter period, having operated with a reduced capacity and lower visitor numbers due to the Covid-19 pandemic in 2021.

Rhian Harris, chief executive at Lakeland Arts, said: “Like all cultural organisations across the country, we have faced a challenging couple of years.

“This third round of funding is really welcomed and helps us to recover following the pandemic and come out stronger in 2022.”

Other local organisation, including Grasmere's Wordsworth Trust, will also be benefitting from the scheme. 

Michael McGregor, director of the Wordsworth Trust, said: "We have been delighted with the positive responses from visitors to Wordsworth Grasmere since it opened in May.

"However, the pandemic is still affecting us financially, especially in terms of being able to welcome international visitors.

"With this award, we are now able to plan for summer 2022 with confidence.

"We are hugely grateful to Arts Council England and to the Government for investing in our future in this way."

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.”

Darren Henley, chief executive of 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.”

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.