Some businesses are being left behind from funding support from the winter Culture Recovery Fund (CRF).

The Carnegie Theatre, Workington, is the latest cultural organisation to be ineligible for the winter £30m winter recovery fund.

The theatre has been refused it's application for additional funding due to not 'going out of business' within the next 12 weeks.

The funding was initially created to help sustain and keep the arts and culture sector thriving during the pandemic however, the latest cash injection brought forward to deal with the Omicron outbreak, is aimed specifically at businesses deemed emergency status.

Lee Martin-White, chair of the Carnegie Theatre Trust said thankfully the business isn't quite there "yet, but time will tell".

"It means for now we’ll have to monitor our spending extremely closely alongside ticket sales which have nose dived again post Omicron.

"Audience confidence still isn’t there so I really do suspect it will be a very bumpy 2022 for most theatres like ourselves who are unable to immediately demonstrate we’re likely to go out of business," he said.

Mr Martin-White said it's made 2022 "a difficult year" to plan for.

"We’re resolutely trying our best to maintain the programme we have, that’s all well and good but if you have no audience there is no money to pay for that programme," he said.