Dave Moutrey, HOME’s Director and CEO, said: “We’re pleased that our bid for additional Cultural Recovery Fund support, which included a focus on creating employment opportunities for Manchester’s freelancers in particular, has been successful. We have exciting plans for reopening which we are now a step closer to being able to announce.

“The arts will play a crucial role in the recovery of the country from the pandemic, and this funding is a signal that government understands that.”

The funding announced today is from a £400 million pot which was held back last year to ensure the Culture Recovery Fund could continue to help organisations in need as the public health picture changed. The funding has been awarded by Arts Council England, as well as Historic England and National Lottery Heritage Fund and the British Film Institute.

While the support offered by the Cultural Recovery Fund is much appreciated by HOME and all the organisations who have been helped, it only covers a fraction of the costs involved in running our – or any – arts venue. Social distancing means even when we reopen we will not be able to sell seats at anywhere near our usual capacity, and our commitment to ensuring the arts are accessible for all means we’re not willing to increase our ticket prices to cover the shortfall.

That means, that we’re still asking for anyone who feels they are able to support us financially to do so. If you’re interested in supporting HOME, you can make a one-off or monthly donation online here.

However, we also know that not everyone is in a position where they can do so. For those who can’t, we’d like to point you in the direction of our digital programme, which is available on a free or pay-what-you-decide basis online at homemcr.org, and we hope we can see each and every one of you again soon.