On Sunday, the arts industry learned that government was investing £1.57 billion in museums, galleries, theatres and music venues.

Of that £1.57 billion, £1.15 is pledged to support cultural organisations - with £270m in loans, and £880m in grants. Another £100m is targeted support for England's national cultural institutions and English Heritage. The remainder includes £120m of capital investment and £97m for Scotland, £59m for Wales and £33m for Northern Ireland.

"As far as the industry is concerned, this is very, very welcome news," said Ian Archer, chief executive and artistic director of The Courtyard. "But the devil, as they say, is in the detail and we don't know any of that at the moment. It would have been great to have heard about the investment and to know what the criteria is for accessing some of that."

Mr Archer adds that it appears to be venue-based, "so what does that do for the people that are brought in by those venues - the actors, technicians, etc? If they are not getting support and it fails at that level, those people will have been lost in the wake of coronavirus. Is there going to be an announcement for those people who are not venue-based?"

He hopes, too, that it will not be London-centric. "How much will be going to rural locations where the arts are key to people's health and wellbeing?"

The Courtyard also learned this week that it will receive support from Arts Council England (ACE) in response to its closure caused by the Covid-19 crisis. The registered arts charity has received £80,000 from the Emergency Response Fund, part of ACE’s allocation for National Portfolio Organisations announced on Tuesday.

This additional funding will help protect The Courtyard’s short-term survival until September 2020. Following its closure in March 2020, 94% of its self-generated income was lost through ticket sales, events and Café Bar income, as well as facing thousands of refunds. The community venue is currently unable to re-open for live performances due to social distancing regulations.

Ian Archer said: “Covid-19 is having a devastating effect on arts and culture throughout the country and The Courtyard plays an incredibly important part of the social fabric and cultural life of Herefordshire. Throughout this pandemic, we have seen the need and value of arts and culture in our daily lives and we are absolutely delighted that this grant from Arts Council England will help to sustain The Courtyard into the future, until we can return to our beloved venue.”

The Courtyard hopes that its return will be with the annual panto, Jack and the Beanstalk, and is working towards that goal, with Zoom auditions taking place this week for dancers.

"We can leave it later to decide than others because it's our own production," explained Mr Archer. "But I remain optimistic."

Although they are watching the news with interest, two other local theatres, The Conquest in Bromyard and The Market Theatre in Ledbury, have experienced less of an impact through lockdown, as both theatres are run entirely by volunteers, with the buildings owned outright.

In fact, at The Market Theatre, having received a £10,000 government grant early in lockdown, they made small grants to touring companies who regularly visit and have been struggling. "If they can't come, it hurts our artistic programme," says David Coker, chair of The Market Theatre. "Having that £10,000 made us feel more comfortable about doing that."

The impact of the weekend's announcement will be similar at The Conquest Theatre in Bromyard, where committee member Trevor Smith explains that the investment will be felt more indirectly, as it benefits the companies whose work they stream, like National Theatre, the Royal Opera House, Glyndebourne and others. Mr Smith hopes, too, that the money will support touring companies like Oddsocks and the rural arts touring promoters, Arts Alive, who bring shows to The Conquest Theatre.

Arts Alive's executive director, Ian Kerry, reacted to the news: "It is great to hear that the government has recognised what the cultural sector brings to the country, and how hard it is being hit. I think time will tell whether any support filters through to small organisations such as Arts Alive and Flicks in the Sticks. A concern might be that only the 'big boys' in the towns and cities will get support - and organisations like ours, in rural areas, who don't run classic cinemas and theatres, but hold cultural events in our local venues, may miss out."

At Malvern Theatres, chief executive Nic Lloyd said: “We are incredibly pleased to hear about this investment in the arts sector, which will provide much-needed relief for theatres in need. It’s hugely encouraging that the government has pledged such a significant amount and we now feel more confident about planning for the future.

“We have already taken action to help ensure our own survival with our Covid-19 Appeal and have been overwhelmed by the support of our audiences. We will continue to fundraise while the crisis continues for theatres and hope that we will be able to do our bit to support the wider industry, securing Britain’s place at the forefront of theatre once again.”