I was pleased to hear earlier this month that three local projects were awarded money from the second round of the Government’s Culture Recovery Fund. In the latest round, £390 million has been allocated to more than 2,700 arts, culture and heritage organisations in England.
In our constituency more than £70,000 has been awarded in total to Devizes Outdoor Celebratory Arts (DOCA), events business 23 Ears Ltd and the parochial council at All Saints church at Fittleton cum Haxton. I enjoyed meeting Churchwarden Emily Way and Treasurer Angus Harley last week and hearing how the money will help. They were very positive about the process and particularly the team at the Heritage Lottery Fund who helped them put their bid together. The funds will go towards repairing the church and developing its potential for more social events post-Covid. This is a great example of how a little money can go a long way in mobilising volunteers, and how Covid has inspired a new generation of people to think about how to build back better when it comes to local life.