A TAUNTON arts venue will receive £77,345 to recover from the coronavirus crisis.

Creative Innovation Centre CIC in Taunton is among the nine organisations set to receive funding from the Culture Recovery Fund.

A further £990,000 of funding will be given to cultural gems in Somerset, including The Octagon Theatre in Yeovil with £298,687 and the Princess Theatre in Burnham-on-Sea with £66,702.

Also successful were AF Live in North Somerset (£78,000), Bath Forum in Bath (£242,775), Shangri-La Glastonbury (£61,059), Chapel Arts Centre (£55,827) and Dan Colman Creative (£54,700), both in Bath, and Wingnut Production Lighting in Wrington (£51,354).

The funding will enable socially-distanced performances to restart where safe to do so, venues to plan for reopening, protect jobs and create opportunities for freelancers.

Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said: “This is more vital funding to protect cultural gems across the country, save jobs and prepare the arts to bounce back.

“Through Arts Council England we are delivering the biggest ever investment in the arts in record time.

“Hundreds of millions of pounds are already making their way to thousands of organisations.

“These awards build on our commitment to be here for culture in every part of the country.”

Comedy clubs, circuses, festivals, regional theatres and local museums are among 588 arts and culture organisations across England to receive a share of £76million in essential support in the second round of the Culture Recovery Fund.

This follows the announcement on Monday (October 12) that 26 organisations in Somerset were being given 4.2million in the first round of the Culture Recovery Fund.

These included Taunton Theatre Association (the Brewhouse Theatre), Somerset Film and Video in Bridgwater and South West Heritage Trust in Norton Fitzwarren.

READ MORE: £2million secured for cultural groups in Somerset

Further details of grant awards of up to £3million and £270million in repayable cultural finance will follow in the coming days and weeks.

The Culture Recovery Fund builds on more than £200billion of support through the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, more than £13.5billion through the Self-Employed Income Support Scheme and £100billion of tax cuts, tax deferral, direct grants and government-backed loans.