£398k from Arts Council England

Play to the Crowd is delighted to announce that it has been awarded £398,000 from Arts Council England as part of a major funding boost to cultural organisations across the South East. This significant investment will support the charity’s continued commitment to improving access to arts and culture for communities across Winchester and beyond.

Arts Everywhere Fund

The funding forms part of a wider £12.6 million package distributed to fourteen cultural venues, museums and libraries in the region, delivered through the government’s Arts Everywhere Fund. This national initiative represents a £1.5 billion commitment to strengthening cultural infrastructure and ensuring that creative spaces remain accessible, inclusive, and sustainable for future generations.

Safeguarding the Theatre’s Future 

For Play to the Crowd, the funding will play a vital role in enhancing facilities, improving audience experience, and ensuring that Theatre Royal Winchester continues to serve as a welcoming and vibrant hub for the local community. The investment will support essential upgrades and enable the organisation to build on its mission to connect people through inspiring live performance, creative engagement, and community participation. 

This announcement comes at a crucial time for the cultural sector, as organisations continue to navigate financial pressures and rising operational costs. By investing in infrastructure and accessibility, this funding will help ensure that Play to the Crowd can continue to provide high-quality, affordable cultural experiences for all. 

Deryck Newland, Chief Executive and Artistic Director, Play to the Crowd, said: "We are incredible grateful to Arts Council England for this vital investment in us. We are at a critical moment at the theatre where our outdated boilers and failing lighting system desperately need to be replaced to safeguard the venue's continued operation. Our current heating system relies on decades-old boilers that are increasingly unreliable, while the ageing lighting rig urgently needs upgrading to efficient LED equipment to ensure the theatre’s sustainability as a professional receiving house. 

By supporting these essential upgrades, ACE are not only helping to protect a much-loved heritage building, but also ensuring that Play to the Crowd can continue to bring outstanding live performance to audiences across Winchester and beyond for many years to come.” 

Culture Secretary, Lisa Nandy, said: “I want everyone, everywhere to feel a sense of pride about where they come from. Cultural organisations across the South West are important custodians of local identity and play a key role in the story we tell ourselves as a nation. 

"Our Arts Everywhere Fund is delivering on our commitment to support cultural assets across the country, increasing access and preserving them for future generations. This is demonstrated by grants announced today that will benefit twelve culture venues, museums, and library services across the South West. 

“Arts and culture are the beating hearts of our communities, they have the power to unite us in the face of division and break down barriers to opportunity. We want to harness the power to help us build a brighter future for the people of the South West.” 

Hazel Edwards, South East Area Director, Arts Council England, said: "We are proud to support this new wave of investment through the Museum Estate and Development Fund, the Libraries Improvement Fund, and the Creative Foundations Fund.  

“These programmes are strengthening the cultural infrastructure that communities rely on every day, from vibrant local libraries and much‑loved museums to the creative organisations that bring imagination and innovation to our towns and cities.  

“This funding will help safeguard historic buildings, modernise essential public spaces, and ensure that cultural organisations can continue to thrive, adapt, and inspire.  

“By investing in the foundations of our cultural lives, we are helping to secure a more sustainable, more accessible, and more creative future for people across the South East and beyond.”