The Forum receives funding from the Government's Culture Recovery Fund

The Forum has received a significant boost following the awarding of funds from the Government’s Culture Recovery Fund

The Forum has received a significant boost following the awarding of funds from the Government’s Culture Recovery Fund for an ambitious programme of events and festivals.  

The award will help the Forum deliver popular events including Heritage Open Days, Norwich Science Festival and the Norfolk Makers Festival. The funds will be used to plan further events for the benefit of the whole community as well as enabling private hirers continue to hold successful events throughout the year as the Forum re-opens from 12 April. 

 The award will help the Forum deliver popular events including Heritage Open Days, Norwich Science Festival and the Norfolk Makers Festival. The funds will be used to plan further events for the benefit of the whole community as well as enabling private hirers continue to hold successful events throughout the year as the Forum re-opens from 12 April. 

 

Tim Bishop, Chief Executive of The Forum Trust, said: “This funding is a real boost for us and for the wider city economy. The Forum is a unique building and we’re proud that our events, run in partnership with other local organisations, draw people into the city and help create the vibrancy that makes Norwich so special.  

“The Forum Trust is a self-funding, independent charitable organisation and like other charities and businesses across the city we were hit hard by the national lockdowns and have lost significant income. That inevitably means we would have less to spend on events and festivals as restrictions ease. We know cultural activity can play a key role in Norwich’s recovery. This award will allow us to deliver a wide-ranging programme this year working with our partners helping the Forum and the city centre to come back to life as soon as possible.” 

Stefan Gurney, Executive Director of Norwich BID (Business Improvement District, welcomed the funding: "It's another welcome boost for the city alongside the work already done by the Norwich Business Improvement District and all of it will help to bring the city centre back to life as soon as it is safe to do so with a great range of events being planned. All of that will help the shops and businesses after a very difficult year”. 

Normally welcoming over 35,000 people a week The Forum like other venues throughout the country has been temporarily forced to close and cancel events. From 12 April the main building, Norfolk & Norwich Millennium Library and Norfolk Citizens Advice will reopen. Pizza Express and Cafe Bar Marzano will offer a takeaway service. 

More than £300 million has been awarded to thousands of cultural organisations across the country in the latest round of support from the Culture Recovery Fund, the Culture Secretary announced today. The Forum is among more than 2,700 recipients to benefit from the latest round of awards from the £1.57 billion Culture Recovery Fund.  

The Cultural Recovery Fund has already awarded over £800 million in grants and loans to support almost 3,800 cinemas, performance venues, museums, heritage sites and other cultural organisations dealing with the immediate challenges of the coronavirus pandemic.