Local aviation heritage centre Aerospace Bristol has been awarded £514,000 as part of the government’s £1.57 billion Culture Recovery Fund to help face the challenges of the coronavirus pandemic and to ensure it has a sustainable future.
Located on the Patchway side of the former Filton Airfield site, Aerospace Bristol is one of 1,385 cultural and creative organisations across the country receiving urgently needed support.
The award to the local museum was part of a total of £257 million of investment announced in mid-October as part of the very first round of the Culture Recovery Fund grants programme being administered by Arts Council England.
Further rounds of funding in the cultural and heritage sector are due to be announced over the coming weeks.
Aerospace Bristol reopened its doors to the public on 1st August. The grant from the Culture Recovery Fund is vital in allowing the museum to remain open and continue to provide the opportunity for people to enjoy and learn about the region’s rich aviation heritage, including Concorde.
The grant will protect key jobs and skills and allow Aerospace Bristol to resume its learning and community outreach programmes. It will also enable the museum to further develop its digital content, adapting for a ‘post-Covid’ world.
With a comprehensive range of Covid-19 safety measures in place, Aerospace Bristol is currently open Wednesday to Sunday, 10am to 4pm. Opening days and hours may vary during school holidays. Tickets must be booked in advance via aerospacebristol.org
Culture secretary Oliver Dowden said:
“This funding is a vital boost for the theatres, music venues, museums and cultural organisations that form the soul of our nation. It will protect these special places, save jobs and help the culture sector’s recovery.”
“These places and projects are cultural beacons the length and breadth of the country. This unprecedented investment in the arts is proof this government is here for culture, with further support to come in the days and weeks ahead so that the culture sector can bounce back strongly.”
Lloyd Burnell, executive director at Aerospace Bristol, said:
“We are delighted to have received this grant from the Culture Recovery Fund which should safeguard the future of Aerospace Bristol, our wonderful collections of objects and archives, our important learning and community engagement programmes and, of course, jobs and skills. We look forward to continuing to welcome visitors to the museum”
This article originally appeared in the November/December 2020 issue of the Bradley Stoke Journal magazine (on page 27). The magazine is delivered FREE, nine times a year, to ALL 8,700 homes in Bradley Stoke. Phone 01454 300 400 to enquire about advertising or leaflet insertion.
Update: Centre closed again from 2nd December
Added 7th December 2020.
Aerospace Bristol had to close again from 2nd December 2020 as a consequence of South Gloucestershire being placed in coronavirus Tier 3 (Very High Risk).
Please check aerospacebristol.org for news of a potential reopening date.
