Liverpool Philharmonic receives £750,000 Weston Culture Fund grant

The funding will help the orchestra's recovery post-Covid - its return to presenting live concerts and continuing its On Demand performances.

Philippa Charles, director of Garfield Weston, said: 'Our trustees were impressed by the entrepreneurial spirit shown across the arts in response to Covid-19 and it was a privilege to hear what organisations had been doing to not only survive but also to reinvent the way they reach audiences.

'What really stood out was the level of collaboration and support they had for each other and the determination to keep going, despite the increasingly difficult situation.

'We all want and need our cultural sector to thrive and, if anything, our time away from the arts has shown just how important they are to us – bringing much needed pleasure and enrichment to our lives. Arts organisations are desperate to re-open and get back to what they do best, and we hope that this new funding will help many of them do exactly that.'

 Michael Eakin, chief executive of Liverpool Philharmonic, said: 'We are immensely grateful to receive the generous grant of £750,000 from the Weston Culture Fund which provides crucial support as we look to rebuild in the year ahead.

'It will enable us to reopen when allowed, and to present our concert and Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra On Demand programme throughout the rest of this year. It's a real vote of confidence and trust in us, which we appreciate.'

For more details about the grants from Garfield Weston visit www.garfieldweston.org/weston-culture-fund/