Venues, museums and libraries awarded £13m

4 hours ago

Jonny ManningNorth East and Cumbria

News image — The Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art has received £3.6m from the government

PA Media The Baltic Centre For Contemporary Art is a tall red-brick building on the River Tyne. Near the top, black bricks are laid in way that spells Baltic Flour Mills. The white Millennium Bridge is in the foreground of the photograph with tall buildings and a crane in the background. — The Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art has received £3.6m from the government

More than a dozen museums, creative groups and libraries across north-east England and Cumbria have been awarded nearly £13m by the government.

Gateshead's Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art, the Museum of Hartlepool and The Armitt Museum and Library in Cumbria are among the organisations receiving money from the Arts Everywhere Fund.

It is part of a total of £127.8m being given to 130 cultural organisations across the country to improve their buildings and increase access to their facilities.

Director of the Baltic Centre Sarah Munro said the £3.6m it will receive will be used to maintain its building which is "critical" to attracting visitors.

"As Baltic approaches its 25th anniversary in 2027, we want to keep welcoming and engaging millions more visitors, communities, children and young people in art and creativity," she said.

The Arts Everywhere money has been split into three smaller funds: the Creative Foundations Fund, the Museum Estate and Development Fund (Mend), and the Libraries Improvement Fund.

The Armitt The Armitt Library and Museum. The building is made of stone and is in keeping with the rural buildings found in the lake district. A tree has grown next to the entrance. — The Armitt said the money would allow it to provide greater care for its collection

The Armitt, in Ambleside, said it would be using the £238,000 it was allocated from Mend to upgrade its heating, ventilation and air conditioning.

The Museum is home to more than 70,000 artefacts from across the Lake District, including author Beatrix Potter's watercolour paintings of fungi and work from avant-garde artist Kurt Schwitters.

Faye Morrissey, the museum's curator, said the funding would make a "huge difference" to The Armitt.

"Not only will it help improve and manage the care of objects in our custodianship, but it will allow us to develop stronger relationships with other national organisations and lenders for future exhibitions," she said.

Hartlepool Borough Council said the £2.5m it was awarded from Mend would be used to carry out "urgent" repairs to the Museum of Hartlepool over the next two years.

The repairs will include fixing its roof, upgrading its windows and insulation, installing an accessible lift and replacing its heating system.

The council's director of housing, communities and growth Gemma Ptak said the money would allow the museum to "protect" its heritage.

"By creating a greener, more accessible and more resilient museum, we're not only preserving these treasured assets but also strengthening the role of culture within Hartlepool's wider regeneration," she said.

The North East and Cumbrian organisations to receive money from the Arts Everywhere Fund are:

Creative Foundations Fund