Scottish Government announces extra £16m support for culture and events sectors

The Scottish Government has announced plans to pump £16m into the country’s culture and events sectors.

It is hoped the Omicron business support fund will help cultural organisations, events, museums, and freelancers to recover from the economic impact of Covid restrictions.

A total of £12m will be given to Creative Scotland to support a hardship fund for creative freelancers, a recovery fund for cultural organisations, and for Edinburgh Festivals celebrating their 75th year.

EventScotland will receive £2m for its national and international events programmes, and £2m will be added into the Museums Recovery Fund.

Announcing the cash boost on Friday, culture minister Neil Gray said: “This further £16m in support for the culture events, heritage and creative industries recognises how much we value these sectors which have been among those hit hardest by the pandemic.

“As we embark on our recovery, cultural activity has a pivotal role to play in reinvigorating our economy and communities as well as promoting individual wellbeing.

“Since the beginning of the pandemic the government has announced more than £240m for culture and events and we are continuing to work closely with these sectors as they rebuild audience confidence.”

Iain Munro, Creative Scotland’s chief executive, said the extra funding would provide a “lifeline” for many in the culture sector who have lost income as a result of the ongoing pandemic.

Paul Bush OBE, VisitScotland’s director of events, added: “It is vital that we continue to support the recovery of Scotland’s events sector by showcasing a wide-ranging event offering, whilst keeping Scotland top of mind and reinforcing its status and reputation as a world-class event destination.

“This additional funding will ensure we can continue to rebuild our vibrant events sector by developing a diverse portfolio of events that inspire both visitors and locals to attend, but which also deliver social and economic benefits to local communities across the country.”