The Sidmouth Folk Festival has been awarded a grant of £62,000 as part of the Government's £1.57 billion Culture Recovery Fund (CRF) to help face the challenges of the coronavirus pandemic and to ensure it has a sustainable future.

Proudly championing traditional music, song and dance with an annual festival in the first week of August since 1955, The Sidmouth Folk Festival looks forward to building on 66 years of success in 2021 with a diverse, inclusive programme and an atmosphere which is acclaimed by visitors and artists alike as 'life-changing'.

The Sidmouth Folk Festival has already received significant support from its loyal audience base and local businesses with a successful Crowdfunding campaign and online festival helping to secure its immediate future following substantial losses caused by the cancellation of this year's festival.

This grant from Arts Council England will help cover running costs from October to March whilst planning for the 2021 festival.

John Braithwaite, director of The Sidmouth Folk Festival, said: "We are delighted to be awarded this substantial grant which recognises the festival's position as a significant national cultural event.

"The award will meet our running costs as we prepare for the return of the festival in 2021. This funding will enable us to reward the loyalty of our audiences and supporters with an event which reflects the festival's long and illustrious history as a trailblazer in this genre."

The Sidmouth Folk Festival is one of 1,385 cultural and creative organisations across the country receiving urgently needed support.

£257 million of investment was announced on October 12 as part of the first round of the Culture Recovery Fund grants programme being administered by Arts Council England.

Further rounds of funding in the cultural and heritage sector are due to be announce over the coming weeks.

Sir Nicholas Serota, chair of Arts Council England, said: "Theatres, museums, galleries, dance companies and music venues bring joy to people and life to our cities, towns and villages.

"This life-changing funding will save thousands of cultural spaces loved by local communities and international audiences. Further funding is still to be announced and we are working hard to support our sector during these challenging times."