“This is just the best news.”

The reaction of Elspeth McBain, Chief Executive, after hearing that Lighthouse, Poole’s centre for the arts, has been awarded a £290,000 grant.

It is one of more than 100 UK arts organisations to benefit from the Weston Culture Fund, sharing more than £30m.

The fund was established in response to the impacts of Covid-19 by the Garfield Weston Foundation.

Other recipients include the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra which receives £225,200.

The Lighthouse grant will support its artistic programme.

It will also establish a new Creation Hub to support performing artists in its Sherling Studio for the development of new work. 

Elspeth said: “Lighthouse is hugely grateful to the Garfield Weston Foundation for this grant as it means we can plan for the future, post-pandemic.

“This funding will enable us to restart our work, refresh activities, re-engage audiences and widen the cultural offering to our community, providing opportunities to build a strong programme whilst also supporting smaller artistic companies.” 

In making the award, trustees of the Garfield Weston Foundation were particularly struck by how Lighthouse supports artists and focuses on community engagement.

As well as reducing financial risks going forward, the award will subsidise tickets for audience development to extend access to the arts throughout the community. 

Elspeth, pictured left, added: “Despite the best efforts of the pandemic, Lighthouse has continued to deliver arts to our audiences online and, when we have been able to open, in person.

“Our determination and a can-do attitude have driven some amazing experiences from bedtime stories for children to the first Lighthouse OUTSIDE season of performances outdoors.

“This grant looks to the future and ensures we can continue to deliver high quality cultural experiences to the people of Poole, Dorset and the wider region. 

“While fundraising remains essential for a recovery, at a particularly challenging moment during the cold, dark days of the third lockdown, this is just the best news and has given us a real boost to keep being positive, creative and here for our artists and audiences.” 

The Garfield Weston Foundation is one of the country’s most respected charitable institutions with a long history of supporting arts and culture in the community.

Philippa Charles, Director, said: “Our cultural sector is at the heart of our local communities providing not only entertainment but education and inspiration for many.

“Our Trustees were impressed by the entrepreneurial spirit shown across the arts in response to Covid-19 and it was a privilege to hear what organisations had been doing to not only survive but also to reinvent the way they reach audiences.

“What really stood out was the level of collaboration and support they had for each other and the determination to keep going, despite the increasingly difficult situation.

“We all want and need our cultural sector to thrive and, if anything, our time away from the arts has shown just how important they are to us – bringing much needed pleasure and enrichment to our lives.

“Arts organisations are desperate to re-open and get back to what they do best, and we hope that this new funding will help many of them do exactly that.”