RAMM today announced that the museum, alongside a number of other cultural organisations in Exeter, will receive support from the Culture Recovery Fund. This fund is designed to help organisations recover and reopen in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
Over £800 million in grants and loans has already been awarded nationally to support almost 3,800 cinemas, performance venues, museums, heritage sites and other cultural organisations dealing with the immediate challenges of the coronavirus pandemic.
The second round of awards made today will help Exeter’s cultural organisations look ahead to the spring and summer and plan for reopening and recovery. After months of closures and cancellations to contain the virus and save lives, this funding will be a much-needed helping hand in the transition back to normal operations in the months ahead.
Camilla Hampshire, Museums Manager & Cultural Lead of RAMM said: ‘We are delighted to be receiving this much-needed funding, which will enable us to invest in getting visitors back into the museum, and re-engaging with local people when we open our doors again, hopefully in May.
‘RAMM plays a vital role in Exeter’s post-Covid recovery. It is a place of escape from the daily stress and struggle of the pandemic – you can travel to other times and places and lose yourself in the museum. We will be able to use this funding to establish RAMM as a place of healing and recovery, re-connecting people with their history, their city and each other.’
Director of Exeter Culture, Dominic Jinks, said: ‘I’m delighted to see that a range of Exeter based organisations have benefited from the Cultural Recovery Fund. This is testimony to the quality of the organisations in our city and a much needed boost to them following what has been an incredibly turbulent year for cultural organisations.’
The funding awarded today is from a £400 million pot which was held back last year to ensure the Culture Recovery Fund could continue to help organisations in need as the public health picture changed. The funding has been awarded by Arts Council England, as well as Historic England and National Lottery Heritage Fund and the British Film Institute.
RAMM is proud to be #HereForCulture, part of a movement that unites the public, government and cultural organisations in support of our fantastic cinemas, theatres, music venues, museums, galleries and heritage.