Portsmouth’s Mary Rose to benefit from third round of the Government’s Culture Recovery Fund

More than £100 million has been awarded to hundreds of cultural organisations across the country including Portsmouth’s Mary Rose in the latest round of support from the Culture Recovery Fund, the Culture Secretary announced today. The Mary Rose in Portsmouth Historic Dockyard has been awarded a grant of £327,652 to help meet the costs of ensuring the ship and collection remain on public display. It will underpin the continued opening of the Museum and will enable the Trust to properly commemorate the 40th anniversary of the raising of the Mary Rose in 2022 – a significant milestone in her story.

The third round of funding will support organisations from all corners of the sector as they deal with ongoing reopening challenges, ensuring they can thrive in better times ahead.

Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries said:

“Culture is for everyone and should therefore be accessible to everyone, no matter who they are and where they’re from.
“Through unprecedented government financial support, the Culture Recovery Fund is supporting arts and cultural organisations so they can continue to bring culture to communities the length and breadth of the country, supporting jobs, boosting local economies and inspiring people.”

Over £1.2 billion has already been awarded from the unprecedented Culture Recovery Fund, supporting around 5000 individual organisations and sites across the country ranging from local museums to West End theatres, grassroots music venues to festivals, and organisations in the cultural and heritage supply-chains.

Dominic Jones, Chief Executive of the Mary Rose Trust, said:

We are incredibly grateful for the support through the latest round of Culture Recovery Fund. It will help us carry on our vital work and ensure we can continue to welcome visitors to our worldclass experience here in Portsmouth Historic Dockyard. Everyone has been affected by the pandemic but we are enormously grateful for the Government’s support for the arts and cultural sector. Without this support over the last 18 months we couldn’t have survived. We can look forward in a positive way to continuing our recovery and to celebrating the 40th anniversary of the raising of the Mary Rose in 2022, which is a significant milestone in our history “.

Darren Henley, Chief Executive, Arts Council England, said:

“This continued investment from the Government on an unprecedented scale means our theatres, galleries, music venues, museums and arts centres can carry on playing their part in bringing visitors back to our high streets, helping to drive economic growth, boosting community pride and promoting good health. It’s a massive vote of confidence in the role our cultural organisations play in helping us all to lead happier lives”.