Upton Cressett Hall, which had to close all summer due to Covid restrictions, is one of 445 heritage organisations that is to receive support from the Culture Recovery Fund to help the Grade 1 property (with two Scheduled Ancient Monuments) through the coronavirus pandemic.
After a very difficult year, this CRF grant is certainly welcome support for Upton Cressett at a time when the heritage visitor and hospitality sector have been amongst the worst hit sectors in the country.
Upton Cressett will be using the grant to switch over to a digital/interactive tour experience – using Tablets to minimise the need for traditional guides and having people all cramped in a room; to create a walking ‘nature’ circuit and heritage trail that incorporates the church grounds and links up the various Grade 1 heritage assets together; and we will create a new Covid-compliant outdoor exhibition space telling the 50 year restoration story of Upton Cressett, including before and after photos and audiovisual elements. It will also house an exhibition of works by the Upton Cressett neo-Elizabethan muralist Adam Dant.
We will use the grant to engage with a wider and more diverse public, and make the heritage more accessible to the public and local community.
This vital funding is from the Culture Recovery Fund for Heritage and the Heritage Stimulus Fund – funded by Government and administered at arms length by Historic England and the National Lottery Heritage Fund. Both funds are part of the Government’s £1.57 billion Culture Recovery Fund which is designed to secure the future of Britain’s museums, galleries, theatres, independent cinemas, heritage sites and music venues with emergency grants and loans.
433 organisations will receive a share of £67 million from the Culture Recovery Fund for Heritage to help with costs for operating, reopening and recovery. We will be posting regularly on progress on our various projects over the winter on Instagram. After the awards were announced, William and Laura Cash received a message of congratulations and support from Philip Dunne, MP for Ludlow. We hope he will visit Upton Cressett after the various projects have been completed prior to re-opening in the spring of 2021.
Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said:
“As a nation it is essential that we preserve our heritage and celebrate and learn from our past. This massive support package will protect our shared heritage for future generations, save jobs and help us prepare for a cultural bounceback post covid.”
The award comes from the National Heritage Fund. Ros Kerslake, Chief Executive of the National Lottery Heritage Fund said:
“It is absolutely right that investing in heritage should be a priority during this crisis and this support by Government is crucial. Heritage creates jobs and economic prosperity, is a major driver for tourism and makes our towns, cities, and rural areas better places to live. All of this is so important for our wellbeing and will be particularly vital when we start to emerge from this incredibly difficult time.
“Our heritage is still facing a perilous future – we are not out of the woods yet. But this hugely welcome funding from Government, and the money we continue to invest from the National Lottery, has undoubtedly stopped heritage and the organisations that care for it being permanently lost.”