Cleveland Pools Trust has received a Capital Kickstart Fund award of £290,000 from the Government’s £1.57 billion Culture Recovery Fund for their restoration project that has been delayed as a result of the pandemic.
This is one of the latest grants, awarded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, on behalf of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, and builds on over £1 billion awarded to a huge range of cultural and heritage organisations from the Culture Recovery Fund last year.
Ambitious projects at 22 heritage organisations, including Cleveland Pools will benefit from £13.5 million in targeted grants allocated by the National Lottery Heritage Fund to restart planned work that now face delays or increased costs.
The funding will be used to support the additional costs the Cleveland Pools restoration project has faced due to the impact of Covid-19.
“From restoring Georgian lidos and Roman baths to saving local screens and synagogues, our Culture Recovery Fund is helping to save the places people can’t wait to get back to, when it is safe to do so.
“All over the country, this funding is protecting the venues that have shaped our history and make us proud of our communities, whilst safeguarding the livelihoods of the people that work in them.”
Oliver Dowden
Culture Secretary
“Many heritage projects have suffered from delay and complications during the last year of unprecedented conditions. Cleveland Pools is no different and as we reach the culmination of 17 years of community effort to restore the Pools for public swimming we are delighted to have been granted additional support from the DCMS Capital Kickstart Fund.
Government has rightly recognised the value of the cultural heritage sector to national recovery and Cleveland Pools will play its role in saving this unique piece of our history whilst enabling swimming to take place in Britain’s earliest and only Georgian lido. We also remain most grateful to the support received from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, Historic England and Bath & North East Somerset.”
Paul Simons
Chair, Cleveland Pools Trust
“With the additional funding from Capital Kickstart we are now able to enter into contract for the restoration of the Pools beginning next month. This long-awaited milestone will guarantee the Pools are brought back into use for the community of Bath & North East Somerset in 2022.
Whilst costs have inevitably risen as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic we have continued to raise additional funds to meet this challenge. Over the next 18 months the project needs to raise an additional £400,000 to guarantee the delivery of all project objectives, including the innovative water source heat pump in the adjacent river Avon, a low carbon technology which will produce 100% of the heat for the pool.”
Anna Baker
Project Director, Cleveland Pools Trust
“These are all ongoing major refurbishment and restoration projects, funded by us, which have been threatened by the pandemic. From the oldest surviving outdoor swimming baths to a Victorian pier, and from a much-loved park to an historic abbey, these are all places that will enrich hundreds of lives when they reopen. We are delighted this extra funding from the Culture Recovery Fund will ensure that these exciting projects will go ahead.”
The National Lottery Heritage Fund, along with the BFI, Historic England and Arts Council England, are currently assessing applications for the remaining £400 million in funding from the Culture Recovery Fund, which was held back to allow the Government to support organisations through the Spring and Summer. Recipients from the first round of the Culture Recovery
Fund have contributed stunning images to a curated collection of video-call backgrounds, released today. The public can choose from famous arts venues and heritage sites from Durham Cathedral to the English National Ballet to use as their background and show their support for the cultural sectors. The backgrounds are free to download.”
Ros Kerslake
Chief Executive
National Lottery Heritage Fund
Image by @multnomahmedia
