Plough and The Burton celebrate Arts Council England funding

Two popular cultural institutions in Torridge have received welcome funding from the latest round of Arts Council England grants.

The Plough Arts Centre in Great Torrington has been awarded £245,000, while the Burton at Bideford art gallery has been given £120,000.

The money for both will enable them to continue to provide community based arts, culture and performance for thousands of people across the region.

The Plough will use its funding to deal with urgent building maintenance and the venue’s outsider and foyer will both be refurbished.

The work will help to reduce its carbon footprint and the funding will also enable the creation of a new website and improved digital infrastructure to engage with more people.

Fran Hardiman, chair of The Plough board of trustees said: “As with so many buildings in Torrington, The Plough is an elderly one with a story to tell.

“It's a mishmash of infills and additions linking two separate buildings from front to back and this causes maintenance and repair problems.

“We are celebrating receiving an award from Arts Council England which will enable us to improve the roof, install solar panels, upgrade our fire alarm, foyer and add other energy efficiency items. It's a three year project and we are currently scoping out the order of works.”

Meanwhile, the Burton at Bideford art gallery and museum will use its funding to continue providing high-quality creative and cultural experiences for people in North Devon, while reducing its environmental impact.

It plans to install solar PV panels and update the glazing on the front elevation, as well as modernising the heating systems and bathrooms.

The funding also includes commissioning opportunities for local artists, helping The Burton to further build its reputation for supporting work about the environment through its series of Environmental Commissions.

Carole Evans, interim co-director for learning and engagement at The Burton, said: “In a landscape of rising energy costs, the past couple of years have been challenging for The Burton – as a charity we rely on grants and donations to continue the valuable work we do.

“This funding will reduce our costs over the long term, allowing more of our precious funds to go to providing outreach projects, free workshops for children and continuing to bring high-quality exhibitions to North Devon.”

Following the announcement of the latest round of Arts Council England funding, its chief executive Darren Henley said: “This infrastructure investment will help a whole range of different cultural organisations across England to flourish, increasing opportunities for people to enjoy creatively excellent cultural events close to where they live.

“It’s particularly important that we’re making this happen in communities where cultural investment has historically been low.”