Salisbury City Council awarded supplementary grants to Wiltshire Creative (£22,470) and the Salisbury Museum (£8,000) at its Finance and Governance Committee meeting held in January.

The council has now confirmed these awards.

Wiltshire Creative and Salisbury Museum were invited to contact the City Council towards the end of the financial year to see whether any funds could be made available for a supplementary grant in 2022/2023.

Thanks to better-than-expected bank interest earned by the council and a reduction in some business rates for one of its buildings, the funds were available for these extra grants.

This allowed a supplementary grant to be awarded to these two local bodies. The supplementary grants will be paid in 2022/2023 but the activity will take place in the following financial year.

Salisbury Museum director, Adrian Green, said: “Salisbury Museum is delighted that the City Council has been able to award us a supplementary grant. This funding goes towards our popular family events programme which includes Under Fives Fridays, family Discovery Days and big free events, such as our Spring Fayre on 1 May.

“These activities are important for supporting our relationship with the local community, particularly while we are undertaking major redevelopment works and are partially open.”

Sebastian Warrack, Wiltshire Creative’s executive director said: “We are delighted that Salisbury City Council has been able to award Wiltshire Creative a supplementary grant of £22,470 in 2022/23, to top up our reduced grant in 2023/24.

“This is wonderful news and we are hugely grateful to Salisbury City Council for listening to our heartfelt statements about the huge financial challenges we face.

“This supplementary funding will go towards our community work (inc. Family Fiesta), our Young People’s programme, led by our Young Ambassadors and our Mind the Gap programme for older people, all benefiting the people of Salisbury.”

Cllr Victoria Charleston, one of the leaders of the City Council said: “The 2023/2024 budget was extremely tough to set with some difficult choices to make.

“The desire for Wiltshire Creative and the Museum to receive additional funding was strongly supported by many councillors when the grants were once again considered as part of the 2023/2024 budget setting.

“After lengthy conversations between Wiltshire Creative, the Museum, councillors and officers I am pleased that this grant can be confirmed.

“The careful management of this year’s budget has allowed these supplementary grants to be awarded to two local organisations which provide entertainment and education for local residents.

“I encourage everyone to look up what is going on locally at the Museum or in the Playhouse or Arts Centre and get involved in the fun.”