Nairn arts centre shares in Covid cash rescue fund
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
Nairn Community and Arts Centre is to receive a £89,000 award to help it survive the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
The award is part of a total of £4.74 million delivered to 59 venues nationally by the Scottish Government’s Performing Arts Venue Relief Fund through Creative Scotland.
Other recipients include the Lyth Arts Centre in Caithness, which is to receive £97,000.
The region's biggest arts venue, Eden Court Theatre in Inverness, has already received £750,000 through the targeted part of the fund.
Highlands and Islands MSP Maree Todd welcomed the support for Highland venues.
“Our theatres and performing arts venues here in the Highlands are an important part of Scotland’s culture," she said.
“The creative industry has been hit hard by this pandemic with theatres effectively having to close their doors overnight.
“These steps were necessary to protect lives, but the SNP Government has acted quickly to help these venues survive.
“The SNP will continue to urge the UK government to use their significant borrowing powers to back our creative industries with further investment and help secure a bright future for the performing arts sector in the Highlands. If the Tories refuse, then these powers should be handed to Holyrood so we can give Scottish jobs, and businesses, the additional support they need.”
The funding is designed to be used to remove the threat of insolvency prior in the next six months and to enable the development and delivery of activity as soon as practicable.
It will also allow specialist and core staff to return from furlough or avoid redundancy and increase commissioning and employment opportunities for freelance artists.
Creative Scotland chief executive Iain Munro said: “Despite the ongoing, detrimental impact that the Covid-19 pandemic is having on Scotland’s performing arts venues, and on culture as a whole, it is positive that we can offer some funding to help venues navigate these extremely challenging times.
"I’m also encouraged to see that this funding will help venues across many different parts of Scotland where they form such an important part of the cultural life of local communities.”
Jude Henderson, director of the Federation of Scottish Theatre (FST), commented: “We welcome the announcement of these emergency awards to performing arts venues across the country. The funds will help to support the vital work they do in serving communities, providing employment and showcasing Scotland's world class theatre and dance offer, much of which is created by our members.”
The Performing Arts Venues Relief Fund is one of a series of measures being put in place to help mitigate the immediate impacts of Covid-19 on the creative and cultural sector.
These include the Grassroots Music Venues Stabilisation Fund, which recently awarded more than £90,000 to three Inverness venues support them through the coronavirus crisis.
Hootananny on Church Street will receive £40,000, The Gellion's on Bridge Street £39,500 and Baron Taylor's Street venue The Tooth & Claw will get £16,000 as part of Scottish Government measures to support the performing arts sector.
