Brighton & Hove Pride awarded £643,100 as part of government’s Culture Recovery Fund

Brighton & Hove Pride has been awarded £643,100 as part of the Government’s £1.57 billion Culture Recovery Fund (CRF) to help face the challenges of the coronavirus pandemic and ensure they have a sustainable future.

Brighton & Hove Pride is one of 1,385 cultural and creative organisations across the country receiving urgently needed support. £257million of investment has been announced as part of the very first round of the CRF grants programme being administered by Arts Council England. Further rounds of funding in the cultural and heritage sector are expected to be announced in the coming weeks.

Brighton & Hove Pride is a long-standing event of immense cultural significance in the city and the biggest Pride festival of its kind in Europe with over 450,000 people participating in many events over the Pride weekend. Pride is the largest single event in the city of Brighton & Hove with advantages not only for LGBTQ+ community groups and charities but also the wider general public, city services, tourism and commercial venues all benefit hugely.

Oliver Dowden MP, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, 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.”Sir Nicholas Serota, chair of Arts Council England, said: “Theatres, museums, galleries, dance companies and music venues bring joy to people and life to our cities, towns and villages.

“This life-changing funding will save thousands of cultural spaces loved by local communities and international audiences. Further funding is still to be announced and we are working hard to support our sector during these challenging times.”

In August, Gscene reported that Brighton & Hove Pride’s first Digital Pride Festival, We Are FABULOSO!, raised over £13,000 for the Brighton Rainbow Fund who give grants to local LGBTQ+/HIV groups who deliver effective frontline services to LGBTQ+ people in the city.

Paul Kemp, Director of Brighton & Hove Pride, added: “Brighton & Hove Pride is an important community and cultural event for our region that raises essential funds for our community groups and charities as well as bringing in over £20.5 million to the local economy.

“We are delighted to have been awarded this grant from the CRF that brings stability for our planning going forward. The funding will allow us to bring back our freelance professionals, key contractors and Pride core staff to begin the significant undertaking of pre event planning for the Brighton & Hove Pride 2021 festival.”