AN INTERCULTURAL arts hub in Bradford has received a grant of more than £60,000.

The Government has awarded Kala Sangam, St Peter's House, £61,500 as part of its Culture Recovery Fund (CRF).

This is the second round of grants, after the £1.57 billion fund was announced last year to support cultural venues and organisations dealing with the immediate challenges of the coronavirus pandemic.

Kala Sangam hosts a variety of art classes and workshops, delivers outreach activity in schools and communities across Bradford and throughout the country, offers meeting spaces, has a café and runs two performance programmes.

But the centre has been closed for more than a year now due to the Covid-19 virus and lockdown restrictions.

This latest grant, alongside the £123,000 Kala Sangam received in the first round of the fund, will help to cover its core costs and protect the future of the centre.

The money will also support a further round of Kala Sangam’s Back to the Studio programme.

This has been helping freelance dancers and performers restart their creative practise after a year away from the studio.

The scheme has provided 26 individuals with financial support to cover living expenses and a week of no pressure studio time, so far.

Alex Croft, Creative Director of Kala Sangam said: "We are all breathing a huge sigh of relieve today.

"This Culture Recovery Funding will not only cover our core costs, but will allow us to continue to offering vital support to the freelance sector – many of whom lost all their income over 12 months ago.

"We can now confidently start to plan for reopening to the public again safely, programming performances, providing meeting room space and supporting The Rooftop Café to start serving delicious food and drink again.

"Like so many arts organisations, lockdown restrictions meant we have been unable to put on any performances for over a year, but we also lost almost all of our commercial hire income so we are very grateful to have received Culture Recovery Fund money.

"We can’t wait to be able to welcome audiences and visitors back to Kala Sangam to see and experience great art and culture."

Kala Sangam will be gradually reopening to the public over the coming months, with the Rooftop Café planning to reopen in May.

A number of other venues and organisations in Bradford have also received a share of this round of the fund.

In total, the city has received more than £700,000, with the lion's share of that awarded to Bradford Theatres (£445,000), which includes the Alhambra and St George’s Hall.

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