Portsmouth South’s Stephen Morgan MP has welcomed funding to Groundlings Theatre in the heart of Portsea to help secure the future of the Grade II* listed building for generations to come.
The theatre trust has today heard it was successful with £156,000 worth of funding following support from the Portsmouth MP with its ‘Save the Old Benny’ bid to the Community Ownership Fund.
The £150 million Community Ownership Fund aims to ensure that local people across the UK can support and continue benefiting from treasured local institutions whose future may be in doubt.
Whether it’s the pub on the high street that’s facing closure, a village shop or a local sports team that might lose its ground, the fund offers an opportunity for local groups to take them over and to run them as businesses.
Commenting on the news of funding being secured, Stephen Morgan MP, said:
“Groundlings Theatre is in a special part of Portsmouth and is a building with a special place in our city’s history, which is why I wanted to play my part in securing this much-needed funding for the theatre.
“The Grade II* listed building, ‘The Beneficial School’ is very much at the fabric of the city’s community yet is on the risk register of both Historic England and Theatre’s Trust.
“By securing this funding this should help enable volunteers to purchase the building, and ensure this valuable piece of Portsmouth history is not only saved, but restored to its former glory as a thriving community hub of theatre, education and engagement for the people of Portsmouth.
“I have long argued and campaigned for investment in our city’s arts and cultural sector. This funding is a step in the right direction. I look forward to supporting the team as the plans develop”.
The Groundlings Theatre Trust provides numerous opportunities in Mr Morgan’s constituency including creating in-house theatre productions that give amateurs the opportunity to work alongside professionals in all aspects of a theatre’s operation; a drama school; bursaries for young people from the local community to attend; and a breadth of volunteering programmes.
The Portsmouth MP has vowed to continue to lobby government for investment into the city’s arts and cultural organisations, to improve access and ensure sustainability of local groups.
Actions have included lobbying Ministers on the challenges organisations are facing, bringing together representatives of the city’s creative sector and hosting a roundtable last month with the Arts Council on their ‘priority place’ plan for Portsmouth.
