Heywood venue to receive nearly £700,000 from Arts Council England

Heywood Civic Centre has been a popular destination in the town for decades

Heywood Civic Centre is getting a big financial boost with a £696,000 grant from Arts Council England.

The money, awarded to Rochdale Borough Council will enable the venue to be updated and offer more opportunities for local people. It will see the centre get new physical and digital infrastructure, improving access and its environmental impact. The money will also enable local organisation Cartwheel Arts to create new opportunities for the community to participate in the arts in Heywood and they will be relocating to be based in the centre.

Opened in the 1970s, Heywood Civic Centre is a multi-purpose entertainment and meeting venue. It has stage facilities for live music and theatre productions and hosts a regular programme of events, national tours, dance and leisure activities.

Improvements have been made over the years but this investment will enable a major upgrade to the centre. It will benefit from a share of the Capital Investment Programme of £22.7m to be divided up between 66 cultural organisations around the country. The funding aims to help organisations transform their buildings and equipment so they can operate safely in a post-pandemic world.

Councillor Sue Smith, cabinet member for communities and co-operation said: “This is fantastic news and we are very proud our application was successful. We are grateful to Arts Council England for this award, one of the largest grants from the scheme in the country. The centre is one of the town’s primary event and community activity spaces but is in need of updating. I think this funding demonstrates the faith and commitment they have in our plans for Heywood Civic Centre.”

Estelle Rowe, deputy CEO and director of finance at Your Trust, said: "This is so exciting as it means Heywood Civic Centre will be able to do so much more and we can improve the overall experience for visitors.”

Darren Henley, chief executive at Arts Council England, added: “World-class creativity and culture needs a resilient and sustainable infrastructure to allow it to flourish.

With these investments in the buildings, equipment and digital systems of cultural organisations across England, we are helping to secure the future of that infrastructure, and making sure that people from every part of the country can continue enjoying all the benefits it delivers for years to come.”