Bideford gallery and museum receives big grant boost from Arts Council England

The Burton at Bideford is looking forward to a more sustainable future as it approaches its 75th anniversary thanks to a grant from Arts Council England’s Museum Renewal Fund.

The gallery and attraction at Victoria Park in Bideford will receive £161,570 from the fund, which is delivered by Arts Council England on behalf of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

The fund aims to support museums in stabilising their financial situation due to ever-rising costs and difficulty generating income, while helping them to become more self-sufficient and to plan for future growth.

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In 2024-25 The Burton attracted more than 163,000 visitors to Bideford, more than half of them local and nearly almost a fifth travelling more than 100 miles across the UK to visit.

It said the investment will enable it to continue to provide high-quality cultural services in Torridge this year, while also developing new initiatives for the future.

This includes the digital transformation of The Burton website and shop, a new fundraising strategy with a focus on individual patrons and sponsors and a marketing campaign for the organisation’s 75th anniversary year.

The Burton’s ongoing partnership with Torridge District Council gives local access to world-class collections, heritage and culture, ranging from major partnerships with Tate that bring work by internationally renowned artists to North Devon, to programmes such as Burton Futures, which takes art education into rural schools.

Harriet Cooper, director at The Burton at Bideford, said: “It has been a challenging few years for the museum sector and as The Burton at Bideford enters its 75th year in 2026 we will create an ambitious strategy for our role in the next 75 years of culture in Torridge.

“Investment from Arts Council England’s Museum Renewal Fund acknowledges the quality of the service The Burton provides, and will support us to think about innovative new ways to strengthen our financial base.

“We believe that all communities in Northern Devon should have free access to world-class collections, heritage and culture, and we continue to work with Torridge District Council to ensure our community is at the heart of this vision.”

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Councillor Cheryl Cottle-Hunkin at TDC added: “This grant is really great news for The Burton at Bideford and all of the communities across Torridge that it works with.

“This year every £1 invested by Torridge District Council will enable The Burton to bring nearly £4 more into our local economy, contributing to real impacts across culture, health and wellbeing while attracting both locals and visitors into Bideford.”

If you would like to find out more about how to support The Burton at Bideford through sponsorship or involvement, email info@theburton.org