Features - Page 167

In an effort to reinvigorate the British film industry following the pandemic, the government has announced that major Hollywood stars will be exempt from quarantine regulations.

Earlier this week, culture secretary, Oliver Dowden, did the impossible. After months of silence, and weeks of protest, he presented the country with a £1.57 billion arts fund to be divided across the country.

A “kickstart scheme” to the sum of £2 billion will be announced by Rishi Sunak in his summer statement today, in the hope of creating more jobs for young people.

Samantha Murfitt is one business leader who has been left with plenty to ponder during the Covid-19 pandemic. Sitting down with the Leaders Council of Great Britain & Northern Ireland’s Scott Challinor, Murfitt discusses her positive approach to managing her businesses through the crisis, while revealing some of the influences which have helped mould her into the businesswoman she is today.

Of the cultural events cancelled as a result of Covid-19, perhaps the most prominent is the Olympics. Delayed until 2021, athletes are trainers alike have had to revise their schedules considerably. So too, has the stadium’s architect, Kengo Kuma.

The Guggenheim has hired a lawyer to investigate the circumstances surrounding their 2019 Basquiat show following claims from staff that the museum’s executives have created “a culture of institutional racism.”

Almost 50 individuals and groups behind the most “notorious” human rights abuses of recent years will face sanctions from the UK.

Sam Mendes has founded an emergency fund for those in the theatre industry who have found themselves at “breaking point” as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Following weeks of pressure from the arts sector, the government has announced a £1.57 billion support package in a bid to save the sector.

As fears surrounding mounting unemployment increase, the government has pledged to provide some 30,000 new traineeships for young people in England

The Covid-19 pandemic and ensuing lockdown has seen schools cease their standard term-time activities nationwide, yet behind the scenes, headteachers and senior members of staff have had plenty on their plates to keep themselves occupied, even before the government’s plans to reopen schools in phases was triggered in June. Speaking to the Leaders Council of Great Britain & Northern Ireland, Ian Bennett, head teacher of Downshall Primary School in Ilford, Essex, tells of the challenges that the pandemic has forced on the school community.

At the height of Covid-19, online shopping increased by some 129 per cent. From the latest pair of Nikes to a bulk lot of Tunnock’s wafers, it seems that in 2020 any whim can be satisfied in a matter of clicks. Unfortunately, the ability to purchase whatever we want extends to the things we should not be able to – including the acquisition of stolen artefacts.

In a turn away from convention, this year’s Turner prize has been divided among ten “fantastic and exciting” artists, who will each receive a £10,000 bursary.

While Zoom calls can be trialling at the best of times, spare a thought for Adrian Vinken, the chief executive of the Theatre Royal in Plymouth. Last Monday Vinken made a call no director wants to make – informing his 240 strong staff that one third of them are at risk.