Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, has joined Academy award-winning actor Vanessa Redgrave CBE at an event in Manchester to campaign for support for the cultural sector across the North of England.
Redgrave, one of the greatest screen actors of all time, last month launched a campaign calling for business and entrepreneurs to support the arts and save jobs.
She brought the campaign to Manchester to raise awareness of the struggles theatres and arts venues are facing in the North West due to the ongoing coronavirus crisis and current social distancing restrictions affecting both performers and audiences.
Redgrave and Andy were joined on the steps of Manchester’s Central Library by theatre director Marianne Elliott OBE , who directed the Tony Award winning The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, War Horse, Angels in America and Company. Violinist, BBC Young Musician of the Year winner and former Chetham’s School of music student Jennifer Pike also joined the campaign and performed Vaughan Williams’ Lark Ascending.
Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) has supported the city-region’s cultural sector since lockdown through culture funds totalling £1.75m for venues, £500 grants for individuals and the creation of the United We Stream platform by Night-Time Economy Adviser Sacha Lord, GMCA’s Culture team and local partners – which has raised £477,000 to support those working in the arts and night-time economy. Across the sector, organisations and artists have supported residents across the city-region, with wardrobe teams sewing PPE for frontline staff, artists offering online activity for schoolchildren and musicians performing virtual concerts.
GMCA leaders have now published a Cultural Recovery Plan, outlining how the sector will be supported and protected over the next six months as many organisations remain shut while social-distancing requirements remain in place.
The Recovery Plan also includes an emphasis on winter-activity in our cities, towns and online platforms with proposals for Christmas shows, pantomimes, night-lights, festive concerts and virtual events. It also outlines plans to develop the legacy of United We Stream, provide a commissioned activity for individual artists from Greater Manchester and also develop work with Bury to deliver the Town of Culture plans for 2021.
In February, £270,000 was ring-fenced by GMCA to support the cultural sector, with some of these funds have already used in response to the impact of Covid-19. The remaining funds will be spent on supporting the sector through the pandemic, while also maximising cultural activity across Greater Manchester.
