Over £6m in new funding awarded to Yorkshire museums and libraries – here’s where Yorkshire News

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has announced that £48m will be distributed to 63 organizations across England, nine of which are in Yorkshire and the Humber.

It is allocated through three streams: £24m through the Cultural Development Fund, £18.8m through the Museum Assets and Development Fund and £5m through the Enhancement Fund. of Libraries.

The largest grant locally is to the Barnsley Museums, which will receive £3.9m for the elsecar advancing draft.

The money was awarded following proposals to make Elsecar a hub of cultural connectivity in Barnsley and the fund will create workspaces, galleries and event spaces, as well as connect Elsecar with local creative hubs across the region.

Leeds Industrial Museum is to receive £653,000, with the Museum of North Craven Life getting £270,000.

Nearly £150,000 will support Barnsley City Council to rebuild Dodworth Library to allow more flexible use of space and improve user access.

Kathryn Green, Head of Libraries at Barnsley Council, said: “Libraries are at the heart of our communities, providing spaces for reading, developing digital skills, an oasis of peace and a cultural space for many.

“So we are pleased that the Dodworth Library on Dodworth High Street and its many visitors are benefiting from the Library Improvement Fund to get a much-needed facelift to make it a more welcoming environment.”

Sheffield will also receive £340,000 to pay for library upgrade work, with leeds receiving £267,000 and bradford and Scarborough £200,000 each.

Scarborough Museums Trust has been awarded over £250,000 to repair the roof of the Grade II listed Rotunda Museum.

Other recipients of the new funding across the country include Bletchley Park in Milton Keynes, once the secret home of World War II code breakers.

Arts Minister Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay said: “This funding was one of the commitments we made in our manifesto, but the pandemic has put additional pressure on cultural organizations across the country.

“Obviously we supported them with the Cultural Recovery Fund, which was worth almost £2bn. But as we are coming out of the pandemic, it is very important that we look again at the long-term future.

“This funding is about making sure that we’re preserving the museums, the galleries, the other institutions that are such important parts of your community to make sure that more people can enjoy them in the immediate term, but also to make them safe for generations to come. to come. come. It’s been really exciting to see how people plan to spend the money.”

Lord Parkinson said the government has worked hard to ensure there is a wide range of successful bids in all areas of the country.

“We have made sure that there is a very good distribution of venues in Yorkshire and across England because we want to make sure that people enjoy the funds that come from taxpayers around the world wherever they live. That is a very important part of our leveling work. We want everyone to have the life-changing opportunity to engage with culture and the arts on their doorstep.”

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