Blackfriars Theatre and Guildhall Museum secure vital Arts Council England funding

Blackfriars Theatre and the Guildhall Museum will both receive support from the Government-funded body from next year.

Blackfriars is to receive £390,000 over three years, while the Guildhall will receive a yet-undecided share of £1,955,799 allocated to arts and cultural organisations across Boston, South Holland and East Lindsey.

A spokesperson for Blackfriars said they were ‘excited’ to confirm the news, adding that the money will be used on a new project to begin in April next year.

They added: “More details will be released about the programme in the coming weeks.”

Blackfriars chairman Robert Barclay said: "This is a huge step forwards for Blackfriars and will help us to deliver culture to more people in our local community than ever before. We are very excited about this announcement and grateful to the Arts Council for supporting our ideas and plans for the future."

Peter Knott, Area Director for Arts Council England added: "Blackfriars Arts Centre is a community space, theatre and art gallery and a hive of creative activity and we're delighted to be welcoming them to the portfolio. It'll be great to see them continue to deliver their stage productions, as well as engage with local people through their amateur dramatic and operatic groups."

The South and East Lincolnshire Councils Partnership, which includes Boston Borough Council, announced its bid for funding for the Guildhall Museum had been successful. The building, in South Street, dates back to the 1390s. It is hoped the money will help to support the creation of a cultural centre at the museum, which also houses the Tourist Information Centre.Coun Paul Skinner, leader of the council said: “This is a fantastic achievement for the Partnership and Boston. The town is built around its history and has so much to offer for local and international visitors. This funding will help tell those stories to a wider audience and support our community-driven cultural providers as we lead up to the milestone of Boston 2030 and the internationally opportunities that will present to celebrate the town’s heritage.”