The Amulet Theatre in Shepton Mallet is one of four venues in eastern Somerset in the running for a share of £5m in government funding aimed at revitalising cultural sites across the former Mendip area.

Shepton Mallet Town Council has been campaigning to bring the theatre, which closed in 2022, back into community use.

The project is part of a wider 'Shepton Canvas' scheme that includes public realm improvements and grants for local businesses and landlords to upgrade their properties, aiming to transform the town's cultural and social landscape.

If the bid is successful, the funding would be used to reopen and regenerate the Amulet Theatre as a hub for local arts and events, providing a much-needed boost to the town's cultural offering. Councillors have described the move as a crucial step towards creating "an enterprising, flourishing and fairer Somerset".

Somerset Council, which submitted the bid to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC), expects a final decision by Christmas.

Councillor Federica Smith-Roberts, portfolio holder for communities, housing revenue account, culture, equalities and diversity, confirmed the shortlist in a report published before the full council met in Bridgwater on September 26.

The four projects which are shortlisted for a share of the £5m grant are:

1. The Lucky Chance, Frome: the former Portway Methodist Church on the A362 Portway (a stone's throw from the Saxonvale site) has been home to the Wise Children theatre company since 2022. The theatre company wishes to make the building more wheelchair accessible and improve its garden area to enhance the visitor experience
2. The Somerset Rural Life Museum, Glastonbury: this museum lies on Chilkwell Street, a stone's throw from Glastonbury Tor, and has been a fixture of the town since 1975. Any successful funding bid would go towards creating an outdoor education and events space, as well as improving the insulation and heating of the building, enhancing accessibility and making it easier for people to walk and cycle between the museum and the town centre
3. The Cheese and Grain, Frome: this iconic multifunctional building has been a fixture of Frome's cultural scene for many years, hosting everything from a Foo Fighters concert before the Glastonbury Festival to general election hustings. Event Tec consultants wish to boost the local music industry by providing training and enhancing the venue's existing facilities
4. Shepton Canvas, Shepton Mallet: this wide-ranging project includes the acquisition and renovation of the Amulet Theatre for community use. It also would provide improvements to the town's public realm and grants for local businesses and landlords to refurbish their properties

Councillor Martin Dimery (Frome West) asked for assurance that the former Mendip area would not be neglected in terms of cultural investment, regardless of how the grant funding ended up being distributed.

He said: "Unfortunately in the east of the country, we lost all funding for venues like the Merlin Theatre in Frome and the Strode Theatre in Street.

"In Frome, we have a number of venues that have managed to succeed without any funding, but they all are in need of repair, support and help.

"I would like assurance that the former Mendip area of this county hasn't been forgotten in terms of arts provision."

Ms Smith-Roberts responded: "The area has certainty not been forgotten.

"We obviously know that the government is reviewing all of its spending, but we hope the outcome of the grant is positive."