“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."

“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."

Today’s announcement sees over £250m of funding flowing from the Government’s Culture Recovery Fund to critical arts organisations. Thanks to this significant investment these vital cultural assets will be helped to weather this storm, protecting their amazing offer which benefits so many throughout the country. As Chair of the Culture Recovery Board, I am delighted to see these awards made today, with more to come in forthcoming weeks.

I cannot overstate the significance of the announcements being made today. Arts Council England, with resources allocated by the UK Government in its Culture Recovery Fund, has stepped-up to save regional museums – the story-tellers and keepers of our nation’s heritage – from extinction. This support isn’t spending. It is an investment in something that people of this country value deeply with pride, fascination and affection. I commend the action being taken today.

We all know ­­that huge challenges remain, including those large and familiar civic museums in our major towns and cities, and I feel especially awful for those people working in museums who have already lost their jobs. However, this Government funding is putting the breaks on the decline we have all seen since COVID-19 struck.

There is now greater optimism that our wonderful museums can survive, be able to adapt and be in a position to thrive once more. We need them to do what they do best, bring added meaning to our lives.

Extraordinary and exhilarating. I’m really struck by how imaginatively the funds have been distributed, acknowledging the interdependence of all these organisations, the fact that we all, the grand and the modest alike, have our roots in the same soil.

These disbursements don’t resolve all the huge challenges we face, but they do get the garden growing again, which will be an inspiration for us all, our audiences and all those of us who toil backstage, onstage and front of house, to make the complicated miracle of live performance happen again. Phew.

The relief is palpable. Bravo to the Department, the Treasury and the government for enabling us - in the nick of time - to get back to doing something our country is very, very good at.