Alok Sharma, the Member of Parliament for Reading West, has welcomed the news that local RABBLE Theatre has received a grant of £107,055 from the extended Emergency Resource Support strand of the final round of the Culture Recovery Fund.
The Culture Recovery Fund package has already provided £1.57 billion to more than 5,000 organisations and sites across the country, protecting an estimated 75,000 jobs and supporting almost 100,000 freelancers.
This additional funding will help make sure that arts-lovers will once more be able to enjoy the live events that have been on hold over the past two years. The funding will also support community focused creative organisations and projects to continue operating and recovering from the pandemic.
RABBLE stage stories about Reading, inspired by and created with the diverse community. In incredible locations, they delight both local and global audiences, celebrating the town’s heritage and bringing about change in the way Reading is perceived. RABBLE Theatre aims to educate, inspire and employ young people and adults from all backgrounds, believing that theatre has the power to transform lives.
Following the news that the RABBLE Theatre was set to benefit from the Culture Recovery Fund, Alok wrote to his constituents, Dani and Toby Davies, RABBLE Theatre’s Executive Director and Artistic Director respectively, to pass on his congratulations. Alok was then invited by Toby to take a tour of RABBLE Theatre’s new offices at The Caversham Stables and learn more about their plans for the site.
The theatre group has been awarded a ten-year lease of The Caversham Stables by Reading Borough Council. The Grade II-listed 17th Century stable block, located between Caversham Court Gardens and the River Thames, will become an environmentally sustainable base for education, community outreach, office work and rehearsals.
Alok said: “The pandemic has been incredibly difficult for cultural and heritage organisations, which is why the Government is providing them with the funding and support they need to bounce back. This funding will give theatres like RABBLE the support it needs to continue serving our community whilst ensuring that everyone can once again enjoy the fantastic cultural offer here in our community.”
Alok continued: “It was great to visit Toby at The Caversham Stables and to learn more about their plans and I look forward to attending one of RABBLE Theatre’s future performances soon.”
Dani Davies, Executive Director of RABBLE Theatre, said: “We are so grateful to have received funding from The Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport’s Culture Recovery Fund. After the darkest of winters, this means we can continue to invest in the wonderfully diverse culture of Reading.”
Arts Minister, Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay, said: “Being cut off from them during lockdown has underlined what a vital role cultural organisations play in their community up and down the country. The Government stood by them in the pandemic, and is determined that they should remain open and accessible to everyone-now and for generations to come. I am very proud of the Culture Recovery Fund and the lifeline it has provided for cherished organisations in every part of the country.”
Photo: Alok with Toby Davies, Artistic Director and Emma Lawrance, General Manager