Warrington arts festival receives £840k in grants

An arts charity in the North West of England will receive a funding boost of more than £800k after successfully applying to Arts Council England’s (ACE) Place Partnership Fund.

ACE has awarded Culture Warrington a £600,000 grant to create a two-year programme focused on developing the Warrington Contemporary Arts Festival (WCAF).

Culture Warrington, which oversees Warrington Museum & Art Gallery, Pyramid Arts Centre and Parr Hall, will also get match funding from Warrington Borough Council and Warrington Business Improvement District of £240,000. 

Describing the grants as “game-changing”, Culture Warrington said it plans to use the money to renew its focus on “accessible large-scale, outdoor and family-friendly events” across three new project areas – community engagement, artist development and children and young people.

The programme will see the creation of four new jobs before the end of the year ahead of the festival in the spring. The enhanced WCAF will also incorporate a Fringe Festival, artist training opportunities and a young producers’ project.

Leah Biddle, Director of WCAF, said: “Our established festival has continued to grow and evolve each year, and this investment will ensure we can create a transformational change within Warrington’s cultural sector.

“We have responded to feedback to create a new children and young people’s programme, enhancing existing activity and developing unique opportunities to explore pathways into the creative industries.”

Russ Bowden, Leader of Warrington Borough Council, added: “High-quality cultural events are an essential part of Warrington’s offer, as they play a crucial role in making our area an attractive and vibrant destination to visit, as well as bringing social and health and wellbeing benefits."