English jazz venues and festivals receive Cultural Recovery Fund

The first round of the UK government's Cultural Recovery Fund has been distributed

Author: Alastair SteelPublished 13th Oct 2020
Last updated 13th Oct 2020

A number of English jazz institutions and outlets have received a share of the £257 million financial support from the government’s Cultural Recovery Fund.

The list includes Manchester Jazz Festival, Jazz Café, We Out Here, Tomorrow's Warriors, The Domino Club, Kansas Smitty's, Hyde Park Book Club, Gorilla, Serious Live, Love Supreme Festival, The Vortex Jazz Club, Village Underground, St George's Bristol and Brighton Dome.

UK Music CEO Jamie Njoku-Goodwin has welcomed the £257 million which has been distributed so far, saying that “It is a huge vote of confidence in the £5.2 billion UK music industry, and recognises that our industry will be a key part of the post-pandemic recovery."

He added that “The music industry has worked hard to help itself and all those who depend on it to make a living, and shown incredible ingenuity in its fight to get back on its feet".

The Music Venues Trust, who are running the #SaveOurVenues campaign, says they recognise the efforts being made, but there’s still work to be done across Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, and still not enough support for freelancers.

Mark Dayvd, CEO of the Music Venue Trust, also added "Saving our Grassroots Venue sector requires a massive jigsaw puzzle of efforts, from the smallest local fundraiser by a community desperate to keep its cherished local venue, to the enormous scope of the Government’s Cultural Recovery Fund, one of the largest such funds in the world... Our continued mission remains to reopen every venue safely, an aim that with this support from the government we are confident is now achievable."

Despite many venues receiving this support, much still needs to be done to help the community afloat during these uncertain and challenging times. If you would like to find out what else you can do to help, you can read our guide on how to support jazz musicians and the music industry in a challenging time.