The Government has launched a new £15m fund to help towns and cities build a lasting regional legacy from the Great Exhibition of the North.
The exhibition will be held in Newcastle and Gateshead next summer and the new Northern Cultural Regeneration Fund will be available to towns and cities across the North to spend on various cultural projects, such as renovating live venues and building start-up centres.
‘This £15m fund is a fantastic chance for towns and cities to develop inspirational projects that could have a transformative local effect – particularly in communities that have seen less cultural or creative investment in the past,’ said culture secretary, Karen Bradley.
‘We want as many people as possible to benefit from the Great Exhibition of the North, and this fund will boost the Northern Powerhouse and help build a lasting legacy across the whole region.’
The first round of bids will be coordinated by the local enterprise partnerships in Cheshire and Warrington, Cumbria, Greater Manchester, Humber, Lancashire, Leeds City Region, Liverpool City Region, North East, Sheffield City Region, Tees Valley, York and North Yorkshire and East Riding.
The successful projects will be announced in March 2018 and the Government said a further round of funding may follow if all the available funds have not been committed.
