Witham left counting the pennies after funding blow

BARNARD Castle’s art centre The Witham will have to “manage its spending and people’s expectations” after missing out on a major grant that would have made it sustainable until at least 2022.

The management team had high hopes that the Arts Council would award £200,000 a year for the next four years as part of its national funding scheme. This month it gave money to venues such as Beamish, the Gala Theatre and The Bowes Museum, but The Witham, which reopened in 2013 after a £3.2million revamp, was unsuccessful.

Staff say they are “reeling” but have vowed to work to make the arts complex “flourish”. They have also reassured the public that the venue is “not going to close its doors in the next few months”. It is also hoped all employees will keep their jobs.

Sarah Gent, marketing manager at The Witham, said: “It leaves us working very hard to fundraise. We are now aiming to get more people through the door, to apply for more grants, work with businesses for sponsorship and to raise people’s awareness that The Witham is a charity and it relies on funding and support.”

She said The Witham would now be managing people’s expectations and some creative projects such as the Summer of Stories will be scaled back.

Ms Gent added: “We’re going to need to rein in and manage our spending. People aren’t going to see any drastic changes in the next six months but we’re going to have to analyse what’s working and focus on what’s bringing in money.”

But she said cultural activities, for example the master musicians series and National Theatre Live, still had their place at the arts venue, alongside the more popular comedy nights.

Better news is that £48,000 has been awarded by the Arts Council under a different funding stream to cover key costs for the rest of the year.

Meanwhile, more events are being organised to bring in vital cash such as works Christmas parties, New Year’s Eve celebrations and a Beer and Busk event in August.

Ms Gent added: “The staff will continue to work our socks off, and we will continue to be stretched to cover the day to day running of the building as well as the programming, strategy, marketing, maintenance and fundraising. We need our volunteers more than ever now.”

If the bid to the Arts Council had been successful, the money would have allowed The Witham to significantly develop its arts programme as well as employ front-of house staff.

Mrs Gent said: “We were invited to apply which is praise for what we have achieved in four years. We’re only young but we are making waves in the art world and we’re getting noticed.”

One key piece of feedback received was the need to increase diversity, although The Witham has pointed out that rural Teesdale is naturally less diverse that other places in the UK. However, management team say The Witham has already allowed art to thrive in the community. One visitor testimonial from parent Bill Deacon read: “When people from our rural community enter The Witham, they have the opportunity to meet artists and craftspeople who are living and working in their midst – a visual arts community that is relevant to them.” Ms Gent added: “The Witham has received funding to make it what it is today but going forward we are going to need help. The best way of supporting your art centre is to buy a ticket, visit the gallery or pop into the cafe.”

People can also volunteer, give donations or sign up to the Friends of The Witham scheme for £20 which offers a number of benefits.