Luton jazz venue The Bear Club awarded £57k arts funding

The Bear Club in Mill Yard, Guildford Street, has been a beacon for music lovers across the UK ever since it opened in spring 2014 - with a constant lineup of critically acclaimed jazz, blues and rock performers.

In February, the venue announced plans to close on May 24, but it has since bounced back with further performances during autumn.

It was voted among the top 25 jazz bars in the world in 2018 by website AllAboutJazz.com.

The club stated: "Thanks to the Cultural Recovery Fund, we will be back.

"We’ll take it season by season. That’s all we can do."

The Bear Club had planned performances in November and December, but on Saturday, it was announced that the UK would enter a four week lockdown from Thursday.

Last week, the department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport and Arts Council England issued a statement that 1,385 UK arts organisations would receive a share of £257m from the government’s £1.57bn "Culture Recovery Fund".

In the East of England area, this investment of £18.4m will help save 103 arts venues facing the challenges of coronavirus.

The recipients are those that applied for grants of under £1m in the first round of the Culture Recovery Fund.

Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said: “This funding is a vital boost for the theatres, music venues, museums and cultural organisations that form the soul of our nation. It will protect these special places, save jobs and help the culture sector’s recovery.

“These places and projects are cultural beacons the length and breadth of the country - from the Beamish museum in County Durham to the Birmingham Royal Ballet and the Bristol Old Vic.

“This unprecedented investment in the arts is proof this government is here for culture, with further support to come in the days and weeks ahead so that the culture sector can bounce back strongly.”