Tatton Park receives lifeline grant from Government’s £1.57bn Culture Recovery Fund
Tatton Park’s Education team has been awarded £180,000 grant funding as part of the Government’s £1.57 billion Culture Recovery Fund (CRF) to help face the challenges of the coronavirus pandemic and to ensure they have a sustainable future, the Culture Secretary has announced today.
Tatton Park is one of 1,385 cultural and creative organisations across the country receiving urgently needed support. £257 million of investment has been announced today as part of the very first round of the Culture Recovery Fund grants programme being administered by Arts Council England.
Award-winning Education
Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, Tatton Park’s award-winning, sustainable learning offer welcomed 24,000 school pupils and 1,000 informal learners every year. Learners came from near and far including from the local community, across Cheshire and the North West, as well as inner-city regions. Since March to the end of September, just one school visit and no informal learning activities have taken place and without additional financial support, Tatton’s education offer was unlikely to recover from the devastating impacts of the pandemic.
For over 30 years, Tatton’s cultural sites and unique collection of objects and stories have been used as venues and inspiration for learning. Attaining the Sandford Award consistently since 1979, which recognises excellence in heritage education, is testament to the outstanding, inclusive learning product that was on offer.
The grant from the Culture Recovery Fund will ensure this exceptional learning provision will not be lost to the many different audiences who benefit. Specifically, it will enable the Education team to strengthen the on-site offer to make it COVID-19 safe, create a series of resources suitable for use in the classroom or at home, and introduce digital workshops for schools, home educators and families.
The plans also include an outreach offer which would be delivered in person by the team to schools and community locations external to Tatton, and the introduction of special evening and weekend experiences to support community and uniformed groups like brownies and scouts who find it difficult to visit during normal opening hours.
Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said:
“This funding is a vital boost for the theatres, music venues, museums and cultural organisations that form the soul of our nation. It will protect these special places, save jobs and help the culture sector’s recovery.
“These places and projects are cultural beacons the length and breadth of the country. This unprecedented investment in the arts is proof this government is here for culture, with further support to come in the days and weeks ahead so that the culture sector can bounce back strongly.”
Chair, Arts Council England, Sir Nicholas Serota, said:
“Theatres, museums, galleries, dance companies and music venues bring joy to people and life to our cities, towns and villages. This life-changing funding will save thousands of cultural spaces loved by local communities and international audiences. Further funding is still to be announced and we are working hard to support our sector during these challenging times.”
Laura Cunningham, Tatton Park’s Learning and Visitor Services Manager, said
‘Securing this funding not only allows us to continue offering outstanding learning experiences for our audiences, but it also supports the future sustainability and longevity of the education department. We will continue to offer on-site visits for those who are able to attend, but this funding will also allow us to introduce a variety of different formats to suit the changing needs of our visitors. We are passionate about the opportunity to once again be able to share the rich and diverse history of Tatton Park with new educational experiences available for all ages and abilities’.
Cllr Nick Mannion of Cheshire East Council, said:
‘Tatton Park is a vital part of the economic vitality, quality of place and cultural offer of Cheshire East and the wider North West region. This funding is essential to enable Tatton Park’s award-winning education work to continue to be available despite the constraints caused by the pandemic’.
The Tatton Park Vision
The `Tatton Park Vision’ is the park’s 5 year vision for its visitor activities and aims to substantially develop its visitor experience by increasing the attractions and activities on offer. In delivering the vision the aim is to fully realise Tatton Park’s potential and present the best possible experience for its current and new visitors in order to provide new and sustainable income to help manage and conserve the historic estate into the future. This will be done through a programme of investment by Cheshire East Council and the attraction of new business. For more information about the vision visit www.tattonpark.org.uk/vision