News

• The Globe to receive £25,000 from second round of the Government’s Culture Recovery Fund
• The Globe is among more than 2,700 recipients to benefit from the latest round of awards from the £1.57 billion Culture Recovery Fund
• This award will allow The Globe to continue its busy programme of livestreaming and to welcome audiences to the venue when permitted

The Globe in Newcastle upon Tyne has received a grant of £25,000 from the Government’s £1.57 billion Culture Recovery Fund to help the community-owned music venue recover and reopen.

More than £300 million has been awarded to thousands of cultural organisations across the country including The Globe in the latest round of support from the Culture Recovery Fund, the Culture Secretary announced today.

This is the second award The Globe has received from the Culture Recovery Fund. The first, received in October 2020, enabled this unique venue to expand the livestream gigs and online learning programmes it had developed during lockdown and to prepare for reopening to the public. The purpose of the second grant is to support the venue during the uncertain period from April to June as restrictions are gradually lifted.

Over £800 million in grants and loans has already been awarded to support almost 3,800 cinemas, performance venues, museums, heritage sites and other cultural organisations dealing with the immediate challenges of the coronavirus pandemic.

The second round of awards made today will help organisations to look ahead to the spring and summer and plan for reopening and recovery. After months of closures and cancellations to contain the virus and save lives, this funding will be a much-needed helping hand for organisations transitioning back to normal in the months ahead.

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.”

Dave Parker, Co-Chair of the co-operative that owns The Globe, said:

“This second award from the Culture Recovery Fund is a relief. We used the first grant to ensure that The Globe continued to stream high quality live performances throughout lockdown. This is providing much needed income for musicians and joy for isolated people starved of live music. This new grant will help us prepare to welcome audiences in the venue as well as continuing livestreaming.”

Sir Nicholas Serota, Chair, Arts Council England, said:

“Investing in a thriving cultural sector at the heart of communities is a vital part of helping the whole country to recover from the pandemic. These grants will help to re-open theatres, concert halls, and museums and will give artists and companies the opportunity to begin making new work. We are grateful to the Government for this support and for recognising the paramount importance of culture to our sense of belonging and identity as individuals and as a society.”

The funding awarded today is from a £400 million pot which was held back last year to ensure the Culture Recovery Fund could continue to help organisations in need as the public health picture changed. The funding has been awarded by Arts Council England, as well as Historic England and National Lottery Heritage Fund and the British Film Institute.

Help grow our online presence

You many already know that we have streamed over 100 events since lockdown, that the gigs have been viewed by many thousands of people, and that we have generated more than £40,000 for performers. These are tremendous achievements.

We would like to expand our success. To do this, we need to extend our reach on social media. We are looking for people who can spare a few minutes each week to
– Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube and other social media channels
– Like and post comments on our social media pages
– Share our posts on your timelines and in groups

You can do this from your own home. We would love to hear from you if you can commit to this so that we can occasionally get in touch with you to let you know of big events that are coming up or of anything notable that we would like to tell you about.

Please contact Nick Ball at marketing@theglobenewcastle.bar if you would like to help. Many thanks.

[press release 4 March 2021]

The UK’s first community-owned music venue is about to celebrate its 100th livestream performance on Sunday 14 March.

The Globe in Newcastle upon Tyne, which is run by a co-op committed to live music, has been developing livestreaming during the pandemic. Now it broadcasts 15 events a month including jazz, folk, rock, classical and spoken word. Performers and technicians work in a covid-secure environment to deliver high quality video via YouTube.

Since last May these livestreams have been viewed by thousands of people in the UK, in Europe and in countries across the world. They have also raised nearly £40,000 for musicians and other performers whose incomes have been drastically reduced.

The band playing the 100th livestream is Bossa Trio, an international jazz group who will be travelling from Edinburgh to perform (they have checked their travel arrangements with the police).

Rob Heron, events manager at The Globe, said: “It’s an incredible achievement for this small music bar in Newcastle to have livestreamed 100 gigs when almost all venues are closed. Musicians are delighted to have the opportunity to play here live and make some money. They are all impressed by the quality of the sound and video. We are looking ahead to our 200th livestream.”

When the first lockdown started in March 2020, the co-op that owns The Globe involved its members and supporters in developing a plan for the future. There was a very strong desire to find a way of providing live music as soon as possible and to make the venue safe for performers and audiences. The Globe has been refurbished and redecorated, and new sound, light and video equipment has been installed by a team of volunteers. The Globe was fortunate in accessing funding from Power to Change and the Culture Recovery Fund.

Debra Milne, co-chair of the co-op that owns The Globe, said: “Our livestreaming is very successful and we will certainly continue it after audiences can return to the venue. We are aiming to provide the best of both worlds. The audience seated in the venue gets to see the musicians in an intimate but safe environment, while those who live too far away or who would prefer not to travel receive as close to the live gig experience as can be achieved.”

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NOTE FOR EDITORS
The Globe is owned and run by Jazz.Coop, which is the trading name of Pink Lane Jazz Co-op Ltd, a registered cooperative society. It was bought freehold following a successful community share issue in 2014. The cooperative has over 230 members who elect a board of unpaid directors to manage the business.