A theatre in the town centre is among more than 1,300 theatres to receive aid from the Government’s new funding.

The Watford Palace Theatre, on Clarendon Road has received a share of the £257 million of state funding through the Cultural Recovery Fund.

The theatre has been awarded £248,481. Culture secretary, Oliver Dowden, said the grant is an effort to “protect these special places” which “form the soul of our nation”.

The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) said the funding will help performances to restart, assist venues to plan for reopening, protect jobs and create freelance opportunities.

The Palace Theatre has said they will use the money to help them reopen their doors for Christmas.

Artistic director and chief executive Brigid Larmour said: “We are incredibly grateful for this vote of confidence in our work here at the Watford Palace.

“Our small and dedicated team works hard to deliver value for money to our community. This investment will allow us to reopen our doors for Christmas, and to support some of the brilliant freelancers in our town and region, who have been so hard hit by the pandemic and help us connect with and develop new audiences for the theatre in the future.”

Here is a list of venues in Hertfordshire that also received a share of the grant:

• The Horn, St Albans - £249, 272

• Trestle Theatre Company, St Albans - £64,908

• Wind & Foster, St Albans - £63,533

• St Albans Museums - £143,432

• MADE Festival , St Albans - £347,764

• Goblin Theatre, St Albans - £51,000

• Watersmeet Theatre, Three Rivers - £175,000

In response to receiving a grant, The Horn wrote on Facebook: “We are delighted to be able to confirm that we have been awarded funding by Arts Council England and Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, HM Treasury as part of the Culture Recovery Fund.

“The money that we will receive will be used to help support us get through until the spring and help us bring live music back to The Horn.

“We would like to say a massive thanks to Music Venue Trust for all the support that they have given us and other venues throughout this process and these strange times.”