Nus Ghani, MP for Wealden, is delighted that as part of the Government Culture Recovery Fund, a grant has been awarded to So Sussex and Sussex Events Limited, the creators of many events in Wealden.
An investment of £257 million has been made in 1,385 venues, theatres, museums and cultural organisations, through the first round of the Government’s £1.57 billion Culture Recovery Fund. This funding will help performances to restart, venues to plan for reopening and to help protect jobs and create opportunities for freelancers. The awards are being made by the Arts Council England and come on top of £103 million of emergency funding that has been distributed from the Culture Recovery Fund for heritage venues and £3.5 million of emergency funding for music venues.
So Sussex are the creators of Elderflower Fields Family Festival, an independent festival which takes place in Wealden’s Pippingford Park near Uckfield. Elderflower Fields Festival provides a unique family experience that opens children and their parents’ minds to new opportunities in sport, music, the arts, nature and food.
Sussex Events Limited provide technical support for various events across Sussex, Kent and London, including the “We Are Not a Festival”, also located at the Pippingford Park Estate. They provide all technical elements for event production, such as lighting, sound, video, temporary electrical systems and staging.
Nus Ghani said: “I am proud that Wealden is home to many award-winning events and festivals, and to many of the country’s best technicians. I appreciate the hardships they have faced due to the pandemic and following conversations with many Wealden residents who work in the sector, I have previously written to the Secretary of State, urging him to consider further assistance to support the industry. I am delighted that this funding will help Wealden’s event organisers back on their feet and protect our local jobs. There is more to be done to support Wealden through the pandemic and I will continue to campaign for more funding for the constituency.”