Reading Time: 2 minutes

Birmingham’s unique Pen Museum is to receive a lifeline grant from Government’s £1.57bn Culture Recovery Fund.

Possibly the world’s only Pen Museum, it has been awarded up to £67,000, 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 today.

The Pen Museum in Birmingham’s aims to preserve and improve the public’s access and understanding of Birmingham’s vital role in pen production, the city once produced 75% of the worlds steel pen nibs, exporting them around the world.

Andy Munro, Chair of the Trustees of the Pen Museum said;

“We are delighted for this vital lifeline from the Government’s Culture Recovery Fund. The Pen Museum is a charity and is almost exclusively run by a loyal band of knowledgeable volunteers to keep this important part of Birmingham’s and the UK’s Heritage alive. At its height Birmingham produced over 75% of the world’s pen nibs exporting the ability to communicate around the world. The Pen Museum’s planned re-opening in November will go ahead with a renewed vigour and optimism and our work to improve the accessibility and appreciation of the collections  will be greatly enhanced by this support.”

The Pen Museum is one of 1,385 cultural and creative organisations across the country receiving urgently needed support. A total of £257 million of investment has been announced 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.

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.”

To stay up to date with news and events from the Pen Museum, including their re-opening plans, visit their website or follow them on Twitter.

Share this