Arts centre funding 'helps secure its future'

A £5m grant for Wolverhampton Arts Centre is a major vote of confidence in the the role it plays in the city and will help secure its future, trustees say.

On Tuesday, the centre was announced as one of 13 libraries, museums and theatres across the West Midlands to share of £19.7m in government funding.

Its share will be used to replace the "failing" roof and windows of the Victorian building, making the theatre and gallery hall weatherproof, significantly improving their environmental performance.

More than 50,000 people attend its gigs, theatre, classes, workshops and exhibitions and more than 30 creative and community organisations and businesses use its facilities, a spokesperson said.

Wendy Stephens, chair of the board of trustees, welcomed the funding news from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, with the grant forming part of the centre's Raise the Roof campaign to to repair and protect the building.

"This investment is a major vote of confidence in the value of this place and in the role it plays in the life of our city," she said.

"Raise The Roof has always been about more than fixing a building.

"It is about protecting a much-loved cultural home, improving access, and creating a centre that is warmer, more welcoming and better equipped to serve artists, audiences and communities for decades to come."

The centre opened on Newhampton Road in 2000, and while its programme and presence has continued to grow, the buildings have deteriorated.

Earlier this year, managers secured a long-term lease from the city council and received £1.5m in funding for enabling works.

Trevelyan Wright, chief executive of the centre, said: "We are lucky to work in a remarkable historic building, but anyone who has visited in recent years will have seen the strain it has been under — from leaks and drafts to the practical limitations of a site that no longer works as well as it should.

"This funding will allow us to tackle some of the most urgent issues and move forward with confidence.

"It means we can make the building warm, dry and more accessible, and finally reopen the Newhampton Road entrance as a proper front door to the arts centre."

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