Theatre awarded £300,000 to rebuild after weather damage

The canopied venue at Sterts Theatre & Arts Centre was dismantled in 2022 due to it becoming unsafe

A theatre and arts centre in Cornwall has been awarded £300,000 to rebuild after being damaged by storms.

Sterts Theatre & Arts Centre, near Liskeard, was awarded the government cash in recognition of its service to rural communities.

The company said it would use the money to rebuild its theatre after it was damaged during severe weather in 2022.

The government said the funding scheme was designed "to help community assets at risk of loss".

In April, Sterts Arts Centre said it was "with great sadness" the "unique structure" had to be dismantled following storms and extreme heat in 2022.

The theatre said the next phase of the development would be to get a local architect to look at a wide range of options for an all-weather, year-round venue.

One of the aims of the design for the new building is to spark creative imagination

Chairman Nick Hart praised the dedicated staff and volunteers who ensured the venue continued to function this summer, despite losing its roof, and the team who worked on the successful application to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.

"I am beyond excited," he said.

"First, my thanks to the very extended team that enabled company secretary Sarah Pym and myself to put the bid together.

"No email went unanswered, no request was too awkward, and although I never dared think we would get it, the combined strength of Team Sterts shone through the whole application."

Plans have already been drawn up for what a future version of Sterts might look like

Mr Hart also said a new, purpose-built theatre building would be more in keeping with Sterts' rural setting.

He said "durability, flexibility and environmental flair" would be at the heart of the design, and the aim would be to spark creative imagination in audiences, practitioners, participants, and the wider community.

The funding will also mean the charity is able to employ a full-time manager, which it said would be able to realise the ambitions set out in its new five-year business plan.

"After some very difficult times, with the pandemic and the loss of the canopy, thanks to the generous support of the government's Community Ownership Fund, all those involved in Sterts are now looking forward to a very successful future," Mr Hart added.

Announcing the award, Jacob Young MP, minister for levelling up, said the funding scheme was there to "empower communities to shape the things that matter most to them".