Lighthouse’s chief executive is hoping for more funding POOLE’S Lighthouse has secured a £290,000 charitable grant to help it adapt to the pandemic. But the arts centre is hoping to win more government help as it waits for news of when audiences can return. Lighthouse is one of more than 100 arts organisations to benefit from the Weston Culture Fund, established by the charitable Garfield Weston Foundation to help cultural organisations in the pandemic. The grant will help Lighthouse mitigate the risk of booking shows and establish a new “creation hub” at its Sherling Studio to support performers developing new work.
THE new chair of the charity which runs Poole’s Lighthouse has pledged to help it recover from “arguably the greatest threat to its existence it has ever faced”. The arts centre was facing collapse without government support in the summer after the Covid crisis forced the cancellation of hundreds of events. It later received a grant of almost £1million from the government’s Culture Recovery Fund, ensuring its short-term future. Mark Powell has become chair of Poole Arts Trust, which runs the centre, after the retirement of Mike Jeffries. He said: “I’m filling some very big shoes in this role and in my years as a trustee I have seen Lighthouse establish itself as a strong business and build for the future through its redevelopment.
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