Funding lifeline for Brooklands

Brooklands Museum has been awarded £950,000 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 they have a sustainable future, the Culture Secretary has announced.

The funding has been awarded to cover the Museum’s projected losses until Spring 2021 and to provide a cash reserve to cover up to eight weeks’ running costs.

Brooklands Museum is one of 1,385 cultural and creative organisations across the country receiving urgently needed support. Some £257 million of investment has been announced today as part of the very 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 announced over the coming weeks. 

Based on the site of the world’s first purpose-built motor racing circuit and the most prolific aircraft manufacturing site in Europe, Brooklands Museum attracts visitors who are looking for an experience that immerses them in British history, in the place where it actually happened.

The stories of the men and women from Brooklands’ pioneering age to the heyday of British aviation and pre-war motorsport, including the many storied successes of Bentley, are celebrated throughout the Museum, giving up-close access to an incredible collection of cars, planes and historic buildings. Each visit is brought to life by the over 800-strong workforce of dedicated volunteers, whose knowledge, experience and enthusiasm for Brooklands are the backbone of the visitor experience.

• Brooklands Museum is open Thursday to Sunday and every day during half term (week of 26 October). Tickets must be booked in advance.