National Holocaust Centre and Museum, Laxton, gets £469,000 from £1.9m East Midlands post-pandemic transformation fund
The National Holocaust Centre and Museum in Laxton has been granted £460,000 as part of a post-pandemic transformation fund.
It is part of a £1.9m project by Arts Council England, which has announced a total investment of £1,989,391 — money that has been awarded to seven organisations in the East Midlands.
The aim is to help them transform their buildings and equipment so they can operate safely post-pandemic, improve access, seize technological opportunities and reduce environmental impact.
The Holocaust centre offers ways for people to explore the history and implications of the Holocaust. There is a memorial garden alongside two permanent exhibitions — The Holocaust Exhibition, suitable for secondary school children and adults, and The Journey, a text-free and tactile exhibition built with younger children in mind.
This funding will allow the centre to enhance existing buildings, gardens and equipment, so they can create new digital content, an auditorium and broadcast suite in the Memorial Hall and improve visitor experience.
From Boston to Leicester, the organisations receiving funding share a vision to build a fit for the future cultural sector which will benefit communities for years to come.
See a full list of successful candidates here.
To secure funding, recipients across the region responded to the four investment principles set out in Arts Council England’s ten-year strategy, Let’s Create.
Building on the vital investment from the government’s Culture Recovery Fund, the programme aims to strengthen the cultural infrastructure of the country to ensure it is fit for the future, to give more people the opportunity to enjoy high-quality cultural experiences.
Darren Henley, chief executive at Arts Council England, said: “World class creativity and culture needs a resilient and sustainable infrastructure to allow it to flourish. With these investments in the buildings, equipment and digital systems of cultural organisations across England, we are helping to secure the future of that infrastructure, and making sure that people from every part of the country can continue enjoying all the benefits it delivers for years to come.”
Peter Knott, area director at Arts Council England, said: “Our Capital Grants programme provides organisations with vital funding to ensure they have the right buildings and equipment to help them become more sustainable and innovative places, as they deliver exciting and creative work to the public.
“We’re pleased to be investing in seven projects in the East Midlands — from replacing well-worn seats in auditoriums and purchasing the latest digital technology to installing ecologically friendlier lighting and making buildings more cost-effective. Funded work includes updating access facilities designed to ensure a more welcoming experience for visitors.”
Lord Parkinson, Arts minister at the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, said: "Cultural organisations play a vital role in communities up and down the country — bringing people together, helping them tell and share their stories, and boosting both wellbeing and the economy.
"I want to make sure that everyone has access to the arts, no matter where they live. This funding will make sure that cherished institutions have the infrastructure they need to succeed for years to come."
These grants are for the 2021/22 and 2022/23 investment period. For the first time, applicants had to demonstrate how their project would address all four of the investment principles set out in Arts Council England’s ten-year strategy, Let’s Create. The aim of these Investment Principles — ambition and quality, inclusivity and relevance, dynamism, and environmental responsibility — is to steer change so organisations are of greater benefit to the public, helping to build a creative and cultural country filled with creative people and cultural communities.
