Covid-19

18-year-olds in Spain will receive €400 (£335) in culture vouchers to spend on the arts this year.

Approved by the Spanish government last week, The Youth Cultural Bonus can be spent on festivals, live events, books, vinyl and digital music.

Vouchers must be split across cultural mediums, with a €200 (£170) spending cap on live events and festivals, a €100 (£85) limit for physical products and a €100 limit for digital products.

The project aims to generate new habits of cultural consumption, create new audiences and reduce the negative impact caused by the pandemic on the country's cultural sector, according to a statement from the Spanish government website.

The initiative follows similar examples in France and Italy, where 18-year-olds receive €300 (£250) and €500 (£450) respectively to put towards cultural spending.

Organisations in York that were negatively affected by Covid-19 are being encouraged to apply to a new grants scheme.

Awards of up to £10,000 are available to events and festivals to deliver activity planned for 2020 or 2021 this year. Applicants must demonstrate how their event supports economic recovery and the York Culture Strategy.

Funding has been provided by York City Council to Make it York from the authority's Additional Restrictions Grant allocation.

"Make It York have designed a quick turnaround grant-giving process, which opens from today (March 24), and we're looking forward to receiving applications," Managing Director Sarah Loftus said.

Applications close April 7, with successful organisations to be notified by the end of the month.

Hartlepool Town Hall Theatre is set to reopen for the first time since March 2020.

Closed as a theatre for two years, the council-owned venue was used as a vaccination centre from December 2020, delivering more than 41,000 jabs.

On April 1 it will reopen with a performance of Pinocchio by Northern Ballet.

"We are absolutely delighted that we can finally re-open our doors to our audiences, and what better way to launch our new programme," Councillor Tim Fleming commented.

Seventy-one organisations have been awarded a share of £4.2m in the third round of the Culture Recovery Fund in Wales.

It brings the total amount distributed in Wales via the flagship Covid emergency fund to more than £87m, a contribution the Arts Council of Wales (ACW) expects will save up to 1,800 sector jobs.

Awardees include Wales Millennium Centre, which won the largest grant of more than £496,000, several theatres in Cardiff, and the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama.

97% of applicants were successful in this latest round, ACW says.

Ten venues in Newcastle and Gateshead have launched a campaign to encourage the public's return this spring.

Some local venues, including the Tyne & Wear Museums' Newcastle sites, have lost more than half their pre-pandemic visitors: "By joining forces in this way, we want to highlight the strength of the cultural sector in Newcastle and Gateshead, and what it offers," Director Keith Merrin said.

'Make Your Moment', a joint advertising campaign with Newcastle and Gateshead Councils, will appear on the metro and bus shelters, and it is hoped a series of exhibitions and events will kickstart the sector's recovery..

The partnership is emphasising the ability to enjoy culture safely.

“Now that these venues have reopened and restrictions have been lifted, and with the necessary safety measures in place, we can all once again make the most of our city’s rich history, take in amazing performances and exhibitions, and experience more of what Newcastle and the wider region has to offer," Newcastle Councillor John-Paul Stephenson said.

“We can still take precautions... but we can do this while supporting our brilliant cultural sector.”