Motion given just under £900k by Culture Recovery Fund to survive the next six months

Bristol’s famous nightclub and music venue Motion has been awarded an £884,796 grant in The Culture Recovery Fund from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media, and Sport and the Arts Council England.

The grant aims to give financial support to cultural organisations that are at risk of failure due to Covid-19. The grant given to Motion is among one of the biggest in this fund.

According to a statement made on Motion’s Facebook page, this grant will “hopefully enable us to see out this global pandemic over the next six months, regroup and once again open our doors in 2021”.

The large grant is part of a £500 million Cultural Recovery fund which is part of the Government’s £1.57 billion scheme to protect the UK’s culture and heritage sectors from economic failure due to Covid-19. The grant given to Motion was one of the largest grants given to an organisation.

1,385 organisations received funding from The Culture Recovery fund.

Dan Pearce, widely known as DJ and Producer Eats Everything, spoke about Motion’s contribution to the city:  “Motion represents one of Bristol’s key cultural venues. Recognised as one of the worlds best clubs it plays a role in setting Bristol as an internationally respected destination.

“The rate of venue closures threatens the vibrancy and vitality of Bristol and the loss of Motion would have a significant economic impact on the city. Locally Motion is committed to supporting grassroots artists and inspiring people, young and old, to contribute to our creative and culture sector.”

Many people have spoken out about the need for Motion and similar arts organisations to get funding in order to stay open. Grant Marshall of Massive Attack stated: “It’s imperative that clubs like Motion are supported, as the club supports culture and the economy in Bristol.”

The grant comes after 11,000 people signed a petition to protect Motion’s noise levels, as plans to build homes in the surrounding area put the club under threat.

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