Lottery boost for Mayflower anniversary programme

Southampton City Council has secured a £269,000 National Lottery Project Grant from Arts Council England to fund 10 artistic projects and commissions to support its Mayflower 400 cultural programme in 2020.

This year marks the 400th anniversary of the Mayflower sailing from Plymouth in the UK to Plymouth in Massachusetts.

Southampton’s Mayflower 400 cultural programme, involving 92 creatives and just under 7,000 participants, aims to reach audiences of 37,000 with stories of journeys, migration and identity. Projects benefiting from the grant include a new music commission at Turner Sims concert hall.

The council, which is leading the programme, is providing £150,000 in match funding.