Cultural Renewal Taskforce will re-energise leisure and recreation sector

Baroness Martha Lane-Fox, Sir Nicholas Serota and former BBC and ITV chief Lord Grade are among a new post-COVID-19 taskforce, aimed at getting the country’s leisure and recreation sector up and running again.

The eight-strong Cultural Renewal Taskforce is made up of leaders from the arts, cultural and sporting worlds and will support the renewal of DCMS sectors by helping to develop new COVID-19 secure guidelines for the reopening of public places and businesses.

It will also help the government develop creative solutions – including digital innovations – to drive the return of sectors, while maintaining consistency with the medical advice, as well as agreeing and ensuring alignment of all relevant sectoral guidance.

It is one of five new ministerial-led taskforces, set up to develop blueprints for how and when closed businesses and venues can reopen safely.

The members of the taskforce are:

• Tamara Rojo (English National Ballet)

• Alex Scott (former England international and Arsenal footballer)• Sir Nicholas Serota (Arts Council England chair)

• Edward Mellors (Mellors Group Events)• Neil Mendoza (Commissioner for Cultural Recovery and Renewal, Entrepreneur, publisher and philanthropist)

• Lord (Michael) Grade of Yarmouth (TV executive and former Chair of BBC and ITV)• Baroness (Martha) Lane-Fox of Soho (Founder of LastMinute.com)

• Mark Cornell (Ambassador Theatre Group)

The first meeting of the Cultural Renewal Taskforce will take place on Friday 22 May, and the group will meet on a weekly basis.

"We're determined to do all we can to help our sectors that are such an incredible part of British life in their recovery," said Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden.

"The Taskforce is made up of some of the brightest and best from the cultural, sporting and tech worlds. Experts in their fields, they’ll be instrumental in identifying creative ways to get these sectors up and running again."