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Researchers are seeking healthcare professionals with experience prescribing arts activities for a new study.

Dr Anita Jensen and Dr Hilary Bungay are undertaking a "cross national qualitative study to examine healthcare professionals' perceptions and experiences of arts on prescription," according to the London Arts in Health Forum.

The study will include interviews with healthcare workers in the UK and Sweden.

Healthcare professionals with experience in the area in the past two years are encouraged to contact Dr Bungay on hilary.bungay@aru.ac.uk.

More than 9,000 people have signed a Change.org petition demanding the removal of Cuba's Minister of Culture, Alpidio Alonso, after video footage of him physically confronting protesters emerged.

Alonso was filmed confronting a peaceful demonstration at the gates of the Ministry of Culture that called for the release of the artist Tania Bruguera, who had been detained that morning. 

Cuban activist group 27N submitted a legal request for the minister's removal to the National Assembly of People’s Power a week after the incident.

The petition states: “The minister must assume responsibility for the violence carried out on January 27 at the gates of the ministry, otherwise the Cuban government led by [President] Miguel Mario Díaz-Canel Bermúdez and [Prime Minister] Manuel Marrero Cruz would be accomplices of an act of institutionalized violence and illegality.”

Bruguera said the petition was unprecedented in Cuba.

“Every week, we are going to present this demand at the National Assembly, with the new names printed on it.”

5,000 volunteer 'city hosts' are needed for Coventry City of Culture.

Coventry City of Culture Trust and Coventry University Students' Union have launched a recruitment drive with the tagline "Coventry needs you!"

The first cohort of city hosts will be signed up by the end of April, with further drives throughout the City of Culture year, which begins in May.

The hosts will welcome and farewell visitors and provide information on installations and events.

Coventry City of Culture Trust Chief Executive Martin Sutherland said he looked forward "to seeing this programme blossoming over the coming weeks".

"We seek to engage residents in many ways, as audience members, participants, supporters and makers."

A Creative Industries Federation (CIF) survey has revealed that creative freelancers, micro businesses and those dependent on audiences have been particularly hard hit financially by the pandemic.

The survey of more than 800 creative practitioners and organisations found that those outside London have been worst affected, with respondents beyond the capital 8% more likely to see decreases in turnover of more than 75%.

Freelancers were 20% more likely than organisations to have seen a drop in income of 75% or more.

Across all respondents, those in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland were more than twice as likely to say it would take over 12 months to return to normal income levels, should the pandemic end tomorrow.

CIF CEO Caroline Norbury said: "These statistics reveal is that there are still many parts of our sector that are facing real, significant hardship, particularly small businesses, freelancers and those reliant on audiences.

"It is particularly worrying that the impact is being felt hardest outside of London, where we know the creative sector is likely to take longer to bounce back."

Scotland's Culture Secretary Fiona Hyslop has requested an urgent meeting with her UK Government counterpart to discuss how the end of EU free movement is impacting the arts and cultural sector.

She has called on the Government to negotiate reciprocal visa-free access for artists and performers touring between the UK and EU.

In a letter to the UK Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden, Hyslop argued that "extensive mobility arrangements between the UK and EU are crucial" yet "creative professionals now face significant barriers to these activities, including potential visa and work permit requirements, customs rules, and new rules for haulage, with increased costs and administration".

The letter follows a call with Home Office Minister Kevin Foster in which Hyslop raised similar concerns about the new immigration system and the impact of Brexit on creative professionals wishing to work in the UK.

Hyslop said: “Scotland didn’t vote for Brexit, but Scottish artists and musicians are facing huge barriers to touring and other short-term international work compared to their EU counterparts and will have to understand and comply with 27 different visa regimes. 

“It remains a fact that Europe is the most important international market for many who rely on touring, and action is needed now to support musicians and other creative professionals to tour again, when it is safe to do so."

22 more heritage organisations will benefit from £13.5m in targeted grants to restart regeneration and maintenance projects that were planned before the pandemic and now face delays or increased costs.

The highest award of £3.7m goes to the Black Country Living Museum, which is currently operating as a vaccination centre but prior to the pandemic was planning the single biggest development in its history. A further £1m goes to Brighton Museum’s Royal Estate.

A further £5m will go to 33 independent cinemas, including two major independent companies operating cinemas across England. Reel Cinemas has been awarded £1.5m to support 13 multiplexes and Light Cinemas will benefit from £2.9m to support 10 cinemas where broad film programming and community engagement can restart when cinemas reopen.

The grants are part of a final round of awards from the Government's £1.57bn Culture Recovery Fund.