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Turner Contemporary, Dartford's Orchard Theatre and Ramsgate Music Hall among venues to benefit from government's Culture Recovery Fund

Turner Contemporary, Dartford's Orchard Theatre and Ramsgate Music Hall are among almost 30 arts and culture hubs in Kent to benefit from a share of a £1.57 billion government project to save them from closure.

They were among some of the biggest names to receive boosts of £104,000, £244,576 and £78,200 respectively.

Turner Contemporary Picture: Carlos Dominguez
Turner Contemporary Picture: Carlos Dominguez

Sevenoaks' Stag Theatre got £444,395, while £168,460 went to famous gig venue Tunbridge Wells Forum and £250,000 to Trinity Theatre in the same town.

More than 1,300 were named in the latest and biggest tranche of Culture Recovery Fund cash, totalling £257m.

The total amount of grant funding awarded so far is more than £360m and further grants are due to be announced in the coming days and weeks as the Department for Culture, Media and Sport tries to save organisations from the brink after a torrid six months of lockdown.

The London Symphony Orchestra, Bristol's Old Vic Theatre and Liverpool’s Cavern Club were among the most iconic names on the list.

Notable in their absence were Maidstone's Hazlitt and Canterbury's Marlowe theatres, although they could still get a boost next time.

Last week heritage sites like Margate's Shell Grotto and Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway were among those to get money from the fund.

Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said: "The government is here for culture and we have worked around the clock to get this record investment out to the frontline.

"It will allow our wonderful theatres, museums, music venues and cultural organisations to survive this crisis and start putting on performances again - protecting jobs and creating new work for freelancers.

"This is just the start - with hundreds of millions pounds more on the way for cultural organisations of all sizes that still need our help."

Sir Nicholas Serota, chairman of Arts Council England, said: "Theatres, museums, galleries, dance companies and music venues bring joy to people and life to our cities, towns and villages. This is a difficult time for us all, but this first round of funding from the Culture Recovery Fund will help sustain hundreds of cultural spaces and organisations that are loved and admired by local communities and international audiences. Further funding will be announced later in the month and we are working hard to support creative organisations and individuals during these challenging times."

A full list of venues and organisations can be found here.

Read more: All the latest news from Kent

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