Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
NI rural arts programme improves well-being and reduces isolation
A programme to increase arts engagement in rural Northern Ireland has been successful in reducing isolation, enhancing well-being and teaching participants new skills, according to…
Welsh government invests in new arts centre
The Welsh government has awarded £780,000 to Swansea Council to help turn a long-term vacant building into a new arts and culture centre. Artist-led organisation Elysium Art Limit…
Arts Council Wales announces immediate funding increases
Arts organisations that receive multi-year support from Arts Council Wales (ACW) will receive an additional 3.5% in funding for the current financial year (2025/26), it has been an…
WNO chorus votes to renew industrial action
Equity members of the Welsh National Opera’s (WNO) chorus have voted to renew their mandate for industrial action in a dispute over proposed cuts to jobs, terms and conditio…
Arts Council Wales to consider funding shake-up for large-scale theatre
A review into support for English language theatre in Wales has proposed changes to the way large-scale productions in the country are funded. The review, conducted by author and b…
Palestine Museum to open Edinburgh venue
The Palestine Museum US will open a satellite venue in Edinburgh on 17 May. The museum’s director Faisal Saleh says it will be “the first museum in Europe wholly dedicated to c…
Visitor attraction numbers draw closer to pre-pandemic levels
Visitor numbers to the UK’s leading attractions reached 157.2 million in 2024, according to figures published by the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions (ALVA). The total,…
BBC Scotland soap cancellation ‘devastating’ for writers
The cancellation of the BBC drama River City is “devastating news” for writers, the Writers’ Guild of Great Britain has said. BBC Scotland has announced it will scrap the soa…
Fringe venue operator signs 10-year lease
The charity that runs one of the best-known Edinburgh Fringe venues has secured a ten-year lease for the building. The Stage reports that Summerhall Arts will run a year-round arti…
Edinburgh concert hall opening pushed back four years
A 1,000-seat concert venue in Edinburgh, which had been due to open this year, has been delayed until 2029 after a change in building contractor due to costs. Contractor Sir Robert…
Robertson announces Scottish culture funding review
Scottish Culture Secretary Angus Robertson has outlined details of a review into how the nation’s culture sector is supported, which will be interrelated with a planned review of…
Edinburgh Fringe awarded funding to ‘safeguard’ its future
The Scottish government has announced new funding worth £300,000 for Edinburgh Fringe Society in 2025/2026, to help safeguard the event’s future. The money will be used in part…
Glasgow theatre launches £5 ticket scheme for locals ahead of delayed reopening
The Citizens Theatre in Glasgow will make tickets available to local residents for £5 ahead of its reopening in August. People with a G5 postcode will be eligible for the offer th…
Dundee theatre faces council funding cut
Dundee-based theatre Dundee Rep has said a cut in funding from the local council will result in a reduction of its offer to the local community. The theatre is set to receive £286…
Welsh National Opera chorus to continue industrial action
Welsh National Opera (WNO) chorus members have voted unanimously in favour of further action short of strike as negotiations with the company over the size, pay and contracts of th…
Artists living in ‘relative poverty’ warns Arts Council Northern Ireland boss
Artists in Northern Ireland are living in “relative poverty” and having to take on several other jobs to pay the bills, the chief executive of Arts Council of Northern Ireland…
Welsh government unveils extra £4.4m for arts, culture and publishing
The Welsh government has announced an additional £4.4m to support the arts, culture and publishing sectors in 2025-2026. The extra funding brings the total allocation for arts, cu…
Opera company calls council grant ‘a lifeline’
Mid Wales Opera (MWO) has credited an arts transition and resilience grant from Powys County Council with saving the company from being forced to wind down its operations. The Newt…
Creative Scotland funding package sees small shift from Edinburgh and Glasgow
The share of core funding for arts and culture organisations in Edinburgh and Glasgow is set to fall slightly, following previous accusations of funding bias towards Scotland’s t…
Welsh Culture Minister refutes claims of ‘crisis’ in the country’s arts sector
The Welsh government’s culture committee has said it has “significant concerns” about whether Wales’ Culture Minister Jack Sargeant “appreciates the extent of the pressur…
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