Robin Walker MP has voiced his excitement following news that Worcester will receive an additional £5 million in funding for cultural projects in the city.

The department for levelling up, housing, and communities announced the funding commitment on Wednesday (March 6).

It is a boost to Worcester's cultural landscape, with full capital funding over the past five years now topping a whopping £46 million.

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Mr Walker has collaborated with community organisations and councils in securing bids for Government funding.

One example of how the funds have been put to use would be the transformation of Worcester's empty railway arches into The Arches Worcester, a cultural hub supported by £3 million from the Cultural Development Fund.

There have also been significant enhancements to Worcester City Centre courtesy of £17.9 million from the Future High Street Fund, which has supported the nearly complete regeneration of Foregate Street, with restoration work on the Scala Theatre also on the agenda.

A bid for the Towns Fund, amounting to £19.6 million, has also funded several projects around the city, including major regeneration plans for Shrub Hill.

Mr Walker said: "I am very pleased to see further funding coming to Worcester to help sustain the cultural growth we have seen in Worcester over the past few years.

"This Government has already delivered vital local projects including the new medical school, an upgrade to our hospital and the doubling of the Southern Link Road but since 2019 we have seen a series of transformative capital grants to the city itself and today's five million brings the total to over £46 million.

"This is a huge opportunity for our city to invest and regenerate."

Conservative parliamentary candidate for Worcester, and cabinet member with responsibility for economy infrastructure and skills at Worcestershire County Council, Marc Bayliss said: "Fantastic that the City is going to get another £5m to invest in levelling up.

"Time for [Worcester City Council] to think again and back the proper theatre plan that they had, not the watered down scheme Labour and Greens came up with."