Cultural organisations in Newtownabbey receive emergency support

The Stability and Renewal Programme is part of the £29 million NI Executive allocation that was made to the Department for Communities to support the arts, culture, heritage and language sectors which have been severely impacted by Covid-19.

The 168 organisations were offered grants to help them respond to the continuing negative impact of the Covid-19 crisis; the programme was specifically designed to stabilise organisations financially to prevent closure and/or to allow continued delivery of outcomes, and support renewal plans.

A total of 39 of the 168 organisations offered funding are first-time applicants to the Arts Council, representing the commercial entertainments sector and creative industries and six of those organisations are based in the Antrim and Newtownabbey borough.

c21 Theatre Company, based in Newtownabbey, was offered £19,444 as part of the SRPO funding initiaitve.

c21 Theatre Company presents contemporary plays throughout Northern Ireland and over the past few years has worked with local writers and communities to produce and tour a number of new plays that look at contemporary issues to enable audiences to explore, understand and debate these areas.

c21 has showcased its work internationally with recent performances in Scotland, Belgium and Australia, bringing the very best of modern Northern Irish theatre to international audiences.

Production Services Ireland (PSI) received a funding offer of £97,298. Established in 1996 to raise and develop the standard of production within the performing arts and entertainment sectors in Ireland, Production Services Ireland provides technical solutions within the corporate, arts and entertainment industries for high-quality events delivery. The company provides expertise in audio, lighting, rigging, installation and training for a wide range of events and specialise in all aspects of lighting, from theatrical, architectural, live concerts and festivals, to television, conferences and special events.

Alongside c21 and PSI, the other organisations across Antrim and Newtownabbey to get funding were Arranmore Enterprises Limited (£15,399), Ballyduff Silver Band (£3,875), Cre8 Theatre Ltd (£19,484) and New Horizons Music CIC (£16,336).

Roisín McDonough, Chief Executive, Arts Council of Northern Ireland said: “This announcement of £10.86 million of funding will be of benefit to 168 cultural organisations and the Arts Council thanks the Minister for Communities for making this emergency fund available.

“It is very much needed to help stabilise the wider arts, cultural and entertainment sectors in these difficult times and to plan for eventual recovery.”

Deirdre Hargey, Communities Minister said: “I know that the arts and creative sectors have been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic and that this financial support is vital to stabilise organisations and prevent many from closing permanently.

“This funding will eliminate deficits which organisations have accumulated from April 2020 because of reductions in income, coupled with unavoidable ongoing costs.

“The arts and creative industries have an important role to play in helping us all emerge from this pandemic, and this support is designed to stabilise organisations until they can reopen and resume delivering their important benefits to our community.”

This fund marks the third round of funding to provide much-needed financial support to cultural organisations which have been decimated under the Covid-19 lockdown.

The closure of theatres and venues, the cancellation of festivals and events and the disappearance of live audiences has been devastating to those who work within these sectors, those who helped drive the regeneration of our local economy.

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In October the Newtownabbey Times reported that a Newtownabbey artist applauded £29m funding for the sector, announced by the Communities Minister.

For more on this story, read here

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