The Leeds Library gets lifeline grant from government’s Culture Recovery Fund to secure its future

The venue is one of almost 450 to be awarded cash in the first round of the £67m Culture Recovery Fund for Heritage.

The Leeds Library will receive £68,400, which will fund urgent work on the Grade 2-Listed building to ensure that its collections are secure, protected and conserved. Some of the money will also be invested in identifying new funding streams to make the library sustainable in the future.

Chief executive Carl Hutton said: “The Leeds Library is the oldest membership subscription of its kind in the UK, with our collection of 140,000 items highlighting the reading interests of our members for over 250 years. The grant from the Culture Recovery Fund will mean that we are in a position to safeguard these collections and our work not just with our members but with the people of Leeds for years to come. Over the coming months, with this grant award, we can look to open up our work and engage the city in our heritage much more effectively.”

The scheme - funded by government and administered by Historic England and the National Lottery Heritage Fund - is one part of the £1.57bn Culture Recovery Fund designed to secure the future of Britain’s museums, galleries, theatres, independent cinemas, heritage sites and music venues with emergency grants and loans.

Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said: “As a nation it is essential that we preserve our heritage and celebrate and learn from our past. This massive support package will protect our shared heritage for future generations, save jobs and help us prepare for a cultural bounceback post covid.”