Music Venue Trust shares statement on first round of Cultural Recovery Fund

The UK government's £1.57billion Cultural Recovery Fund distribution was due to be announced from 5 October, and grassroots music venues in England, Scotland and Wales were set to find out if they'll receive funding by 16 October.

The emergency funding distribution announcements were then pushed back a week to 12 October, and Music Venue Trust shared a statement responding to the delay, revealing that grassroots music venues that were "already in very precarious financial situations, now face a further seven days of uncertainty".

Just over a week on from their previous statement, Music Venue Trust has responded to the first instalment of the Cultural Recovery Fund distribution, saying it's a "huge step forward in the efforts to reopen every venue safely."

Music Venue Trust thank the DCMS (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport) and ACE (Arts Council England) for "creating and delivering this fund", and go on to praise the Secretary of State and Chancellor for helping to "develop a solution, and make it happen."

The organisation adds, "This intervention today helps enormously, giving MVT, our sector and our communities an achievable opportunity to complete the English section of the jigsaw. We keenly await results from funding applications in Wales, and of round two of this fund. Our work with the governments of Scotland and Northern Ireland will continue to seek further support for venues there. Our immediate focus now will be to work with every venue that was ineligible for funding, and any venue that was unsuccessful in their application to this fund, to ensure that at the end of this crisis communities right across the country have a thriving and healthy live music scene to return to."