Just two Wirral businesses have been awarded Culture Recovery Fund (CRF) grants as the borough prepares to head into a new 'tier 3' lockdown.

New Birkenhead music venue Future Yard will receive a £60,000 fund, while Zicon Entertainment Ltd., which runs the 'Evol' live music promotions will received £100,000.

More than 1,300 arts and cultural organisations across the UK will receive a share of the £257 million pot, as a list of those that applied for grants under £1 million in the first round of the CRF were announced on Monday.

Arts Council England will distribute the funding on behalf of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).

Argyle Street venue Future Yard has only been open a matter of months but are relieved to have received the financial backing.

Founder & Director Craig Pennington told the Globe: "It's a lifeline and a positive validation of what it is that we're doing.

"Opening a music venue in the midst of global pandemic has been really challenging.

"It's a ray of hope in what has been a difficult few months. It gives up the opportunity to carry on pushing forward with our plans for what we're doing in Birkenhead and gives us a little bit more certainty now in being able to achieve that.

"Obviously the situation is still precarious and it will still depend on how quickly we can move out of the other side but it's a really positive move and we're obviously grateful to all of the work that the industry has done lobbying the government to make them understand how important our sector is." 

With new 'tier 3' lockdown restrictions set to come into effect from tomorrow (October 14), audiences for live performances in Wirral are expected to be off limits for the short-term future at least.