Five organisations in Wells have received nearly £800,000 of funding between them in a second round of culture grants from the government.

The money has been awarded as part of the second round of funding from the Culture Recovery Fund, with a total of 2,700 organisation benefiting from more than £400 million of government money in this phase.

The five Wells organisations receiving the money, and the amount they are getting are as follows:

• Wells Cathedral - £519,300
• The Palace Trust (Bishop's Palace) - £170,000
• Wells Film Centre - £55,020
• The Parochial Church Council of the Ecclesiastical Parish of Wells St Cuthbert (St Cuthbert's Church) - £30,200
• International Music Exchange - £25,000

Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden today (April 2) announced details of the 2,700 organisations being offered nearly £400 million in grants and loans to help the culture and heritage sector reopen and recover.

This brings the Government's total investment across grants, capital and repayable finance from the Culture Recovery Fund so far to more than £1.2 billion across more than 5,000 individual cultural and heritage organisations and sites.

The funding was reserved in the first round of the £1.57 billion Culture Recovery Fund to allow the Government to respond to the changing public health picture.

With more than 70 per cent of funding going outside of London, it will help organisations across the country as they welcome back visitors and return to normal operating models in the months ahead.

The first round of grants and repayable finance totalling more than £800 million were allocated to ensure the immediate survival of 3,800 cultural organisations and heritage sites across the country.

This second tranche of funding builds on the lifeline grants already awarded to support museums, theatres, performance venues, historic sites and cinemas as they reopen to audiences and visitors throughout the spring and summer.

Culture Secretary, Oliver Dowden, said: "Our record breaking Culture Recovery Fund has already helped thousands of culture and heritage organisations across the country survive the biggest crisis they've ever faced.

"Now we're staying by their side as they prepare to welcome the public back through their doors - helping our cultural gems plan for reopening and thrive in the better times ahead."

Nearly all of the original £1.57 billion Culture Recovery Fund has now been allocated, with more than £1.2 billion in grants and repayable finance offered to more than 5,000 individual organisations and sites, and further grants to be finalised over the coming weeks.

At last month's Budget, the Chancellor announced a £300 million boost for the Culture Recovery Fund, as part of a wider £408 million package for arts and culture taking direct government investment in the sector since the start of the pandemic stands at almost £2 billion. Further details on the third round of the Culture Recovery Fund will be available in due course.