The Barn Theatre in Cirencester has welcomed the Government’s £1.57 billion support package to help the arts industry through the pandemic.

£880m worth of grants will be made available through to April 2021, shared out between theatre, heritage sites, museums, music venues, galleries and more, supplemented by £270m-worth of loans.

There will also be £100m worth of support for English cultural institutions and the Heritage Trust, and £120m to help the construction of cultural sites.

Iwan Lewis is the artistic director of the Barn and he said that this was essential to “the theatre’s survival”.

“We are extremely pleased to hear the announcement from the UK Government of their plans to invest £1.57 billion to protect the UK’s world-class cultural, arts and heritage institutions during this unprecedented time of crisis," Iwan said.

“The news is a positive step forward in the fight to save our cultural institutions. The announcement of The Theatre Artists Fund will also provide freelancers, who are a life blood for not only the Barn, but the entire industry, emergency support to ensure we will not lose vital members of our rich cultural sector.

“However, as a small 200 seat venue in the Cotswolds we are concerned that like many theatres of our size in the regions who contribute hugely to the cultural landscape of our communities that our voice won’t be heard. We will be watching with interest as more details emerge as to how the investment fund will be distributed.

“The focus for us all now is on planning for a future of innovative theatre as well as continuing to bring together our local communities and ensuring that our regional economy thrives.”

Further details are to be revealed over the coming weeks, with the government also finalising guidance on how performances may return, adopting a phased return.