THREE Tynedale arts organisations will receive a collective boost of over £1.7m over the next four years.

Arts Council England has announced its long-term arts and culture funding which will be set in place from April 2018 until 2022.

In Hexham, The Queen’s Hall, Arts&Heritage and Bloodaxe Books were all named as part of the Art Council’s national portfolio.

They are three of eight projects across Northumberland, which have had a total of over £4.7m investment.

Hexham’s Queen’s Hall, which is now on year three of its current funding from the Arts Council, will receive £472,588.

Artistic director Geof Keys said: “We are delighted. The Queen’s Hall provides shows, exhibitions and classes and supports a range of artists, as well as a whole range of programmes such as working with local schools - which is a big part of what we do.

“I think another aspect of getting the funding is it helps us to be inclusive; we can put more resources into getting more people engaging with the arts than you would traditionally see.”

This is the first time museums have been included in the national portfolio, and Hexham’s Arts&Heritage project, based at the Queen’s Hall, is one of the new organisations to enter the Arts Council’s national portfolio, receiving £940,000.

The project, which has been overseen for more than 20 years by director Judith King, supports smaller museums to develop their work around visual arts, helping them to use their collections in creative ways to attract new audiences.

And Bloodaxe Books, also based in Hexham, will receive £368,128 over the four year period.

It is one of three major poetry publishers in England with an international reputation for quality in literature and excellence in book design.

The publisher said grant support from Arts Council England makes it possible for them to publish around thirty new titles a year, and to sell more poetry books than any other subsidised publisher in Britain.

Jane Tarr, the Arts Council’s north director, said: “Northumberland has a distinctive and vibrant culture with festivals, arts centres and museums, from Queens Hall and the Bagpipe Museum, to the Maltings and Berwick Film and Media Festival.

“There are theatre companies like November Club which capture the spirit of Northumberland, and it’s also home to a number of organisations that are nationally important, like Bloodaxe Books and Arts&Heritage.

“We’re thrilled to be increasing our investment in a substantially rural area, adding to the rich variety of cultural organisations in the county.”