Freelancers who have already received funding from Welsh Government’s Cultural Recovery Fund will receive an additional £2,500 to support them through this extended period of coronavirus restrictions.

A further round of support worth £8.9m has been announced by the Deputy Minister for Culture, Sport and Tourism Lord Elis-Thomas.

In total, the Cultural Recovery Fund has provided £63m to help sustain the arts and creative sector, with the hope organisations and individuals will thrive again in the future.

The Deputy Minister said: “The freelance sector plays a pivotal part in the Welsh economy and I am delighted we are able to provide additional support, which acknowledges the important contribution freelancers make to Welsh cultural life.

“The pandemic continues to present challenges for cultural and creative freelancers throughout Wales. We applaud their resilience and creativity during this period.

“We know we will need their professionalism, experience, enthusiasm and vision to help us come together and rebuild after the public health crisis has abated.”

Some freelancers who have been supported by the fund have been able to continue their creative work during the pandemic.

Lewis Carter, an award-winning indie filmmaker based in Bridgend, released a documentary, Best Foot Forward, on New Year’s Eve to celebrate and keep the tradition of the Nos Galan Road Races alive despite the event being cancelled due to the alert level four restrictions.

He used the funding for the online release of the multi-award-winning short film Showdown, which features autistic actors and is released this week.

Lewis said: “The cultural freelancer grant meant I was able to pay fellow freelance creatives that worked on my documentary Best Foot Forward, and boost the online release of my short film Showdown.

“Showdown returns home from its international festival run having received awards from two of Wales’ most prestigious film festivals, Cardiff International Film Festival, and the Bafta-qualifying Carmarthen Bay International Film Festival.”

Bridgend County Borough Council Leader Huw David said: “It’s wonderful to hear that this vital Welsh Government funding for our creative sector is helping to support local freelancers like Lewis to continue their work during the coronavirus restrictions.

“Freelancers who have previously received support will receive a self-declaration letter, which they will need to respond to for the funding to be released.

“The fund is not be open to new applications but anyone who missed out on the funding originally can apply for the Local Discretionary Grant. More details are available on the Business Wales website.”