£450,000 to secure our future

London Transport Museum has received £450,000 from the Government’s Culture Recovery Fund to boost our long-term recovery after being closed for 355 days during the pandemic.

The £450,000 grant, administered by Arts Council England, will mean we can invest in new programming and grow our commercial activity.

As we plan for the year ahead, this new Culture Recovery Fund grant is supporting a truly sustainable recovery. 

The funding will support the creation of our new exhibition Legacies: London Transport’s Caribbean Workforce, which is due to launch in February 2022. It will also fund the delivery of our learning programmes and enable the ongoing re-launch of our popular Hidden London tours.

Since reopening in May 2021, we have welcomed back around 68 per cent of our pre-pandemic visitor numbers. But with international travel and tourism still limited the Museum’s long-term recovery remains fragile.

Rebuilding our long-term sustainability is vital to the Museum’s work as an education and heritage charity. It will ensure the ongoing preservation of our historic collection and delivery of our learning programmes.

This includes its Climate Crossroads initiative to promote a greener future for the Capital and Enjoyment to Employment which supports young Londoners into careers in transport. 

Sam Mullins OBE, Director of London Transport Museum, said:

‘We’re incredibly grateful to DCMS and the Arts Council for standing by London Transport Museum, which captures the story of the vital role public transport has always played in shaping London and keeping the city moving. As we plan for the year ahead, this new Culture Recovery Fund grant is supporting a truly sustainable recovery. It will see us continue to re-build after the devastating impact of the pandemic and invest in new programming. When cultural attractions reopened earlier this year it signalled brighter times ahead. Their ongoing recovery is critical to our towns and city centres, as well as the wider UK economy and the country’s wellbeing.’

Over £1.2 billion has already been awarded from the unprecedented Culture Recovery Fund.

This is supporting around 5000 individual organisations and sites across the country ranging from local museums to West End theatres, grassroots music venues to festivals, and organisations in the cultural and heritage supply-chains.

Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries said: ‘Culture is for everyone and should therefore be accessible to everyone, no matter who they are and where they’re from. Through unprecedented government financial support, the Culture Recovery Fund is supporting arts and cultural organisations so they can continue to bring culture to communities the length and breadth of the country, supporting jobs, boosting local economies and inspiring people.

Darren Henley, Chief Executive, Arts Council England, said: ‘This continued investment from the Government on an unprecedented scale means our theatres, galleries, music venues, museums and arts centres can carry on playing their part in bringing visitors back to our high streets, helping to drive economic growth, boosting community pride and promoting good health. It’s a massive vote of confidence in the role our cultural organisations play in helping us all to lead happier lives.’