Ashfield and Mansfield are to benefit from a major arts investment over the next three years to increase creative and cultural activity.

A total of 19 organisations in Nottinghamshire will receive a share of almost £7.7m each year for the next three years from Arts Council England.

Among the beneficiaries are Mansfield Museum, Mansfield Palace Theatre, Unanima Theatre, and Inspire.

Unanima Theatre, based in Mansfield since 2008, brings young people and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities together to use devised theatre to explore themes and issues relevant to everyone.

Through experimental styles and storytelling, Unanima co-produces work that challenges audiences to think differently about disability.

Mansfield MP Ben Bradley has worked closely with Brad English and Tracy Radford (pictured top), of Unanima, on opportunities to boost arts and culture funding in Mansfield.

Ben said: “The news of just over £800,000 in arts funding for organisations in Mansfield is fantastic. Levelling Up isn’t only about redeveloping town centres and devolution deals, although they are key, it’s also about developing arts and culture in places like Mansfield.

“I have met Brad and Tracy numerous times and have seen the amazing work that Unanima does, giving learning disabled and autistic people a chance to express themselves artistically.”

Unanima said: “Learning disabled people have been systematically left in the cold when it comes to arts and culture, and we vow to capitalise on this massive support to fight, graft, and provoke the world to take their stories, their rights, and their talents more seriously.

“This is just a start in getting learning disabled people properly represented and included in the world of theatre and the arts.”

Mansfield District Council has been awarded more than £1.7m from Arts Council England through a National Portfolio grant, It will be used to provide various projects at Mansfield Museum and the Palace Theatre, including new collaborations with community groups and welcoming new artists to take residency in the town.

The funds will see live performances moving outside the museum and theatre into the community, and a series of temporary exhibitions in areas with the least access to publicly-funded culture.

There are also plans to work with the authority’s parks team around species conservation and biodiversity, with a commitment to digitalising the collection over several years.

Sian Booth, Cultural Services manager, who submitted the bid for the funds, added: “It will guide and shape the direction of the theatre and museum for years to come.

“As well as all the new and exciting events programme, we are also planning to invest in the next generation of museum curators through the creation of the Young Curators programme. This will be a wide-ranging and, above all, fun programme for young people, allowing them to engage and learn about the arts sector.

“We also plan to create pop-up exhibitions around the district to share our collections more widely and enhance our place, as well as a new cohort of collection volunteers.

“This collection will also represent diverse voices and stories with an aspiration to develop Mansfield’s first Eastern European heritage collection, Black History archive and Disability Heritage collection. We are immensely grateful to Arts Council England and cannot wait to get started.”

Inspire (Culture Learning and Libraries), which delivers a wide range of services, including public libraries, community arts, youth arts, and Nottinghamshire Music Hub, will receive increased investment to support its work with children and young people across Ashfield and Mansfield – including the Big Draw, theatre in schools, and projects for older people.

The National Holocaust Centre, near Ollerton, is to receive further funding. The museum offers ways for people to explore the history and implications of the Holocaust.

There is a memorial garden alongside two permanent exhibitions — The Holocaust Exhibition, suitable for secondary school children and adults, and The Journey, a text free and tactile exhibition built with younger children in mind.