He said he hoped the whole crisis might help change government attitudes to a neglected industry. At the weekend, the government unveiled a £1.57bn support package to help protect the futures of UK theatres, galleries, museums and other cultural venues. Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said the aim was to preserve the "crown jewels" in the UK's arts sector as well as local venues. The Petworth Festival was one of the scores of festivals wiped out by the coronavirus crisis. It was due to open next week (July 14-August 1) but was cancelled in the depths of the crisis back in March. “What I would say, just from reading the comments, is that I am pleased that this money is at the upper end of what people in the industry were expecting,” Stewart said. “We have not seen the details, but it is great that the need has been recognised. It is great that the Chancellor has see fit to follow what has been done in other countries as well. Our country has got one of the largest arts sectors going. “But I have been quite surprised throughout the gradual loosening of lockdown just how little reference has been made to the cultural industry. It is one of the most vibrant sectors in the whole of the economy. “But I am afraid we continue what has been seen through the generations. I remember when they first introduced the idea of a Culture Secretary, culture was seen as being all about tourism and bringing people into the country. There has always been a certain blindness to the fact that it is a really important sector to everyone and something that the whole country should be celebrating. There has been a blockage at government level. Career politicians are not necessarily great attenders of the theatre or dance.” Stewart stresses that it remains to be seen what the real fall-out of the crisis on the arts will be: “But certainly until this announcement it was looking absolutely ghastly for the theatre sector. Theatre was looking as if it was going to be in a really desperate situation. I know the arts are maybe a long way down the list of what is going to helped, but this should certainly help.” Later this summer, the Petworth Festival is hoping to announce a fortnight’s autumn festival, mixing the traditional autumn literary festival with highlights from what would have been the summer festival. Why running is my lockdown release Chichester Singers combine musically in isolation for beautiful video Lockdown Laughs 4 Parents switches online for comedy in your own home Why walking is what we all need at the moment - especially in glorious Sussex Shakespeare’s Globe makes productions available to watch for free during lockdown How you can still enjoy Sussex delights... from the safety of your armchair Up close but safe: enjoy collections online at Royal Pavilion & Museums in Brighton Chichester orchestra records its own lockdown song Coronavirus: top ten tips for boredom-busting during quarantine Singer and pianist Joe Stilgoe live-streams daily message of hope during the coronavirus crisis Music "more important than ever" in our time of crisis, urges West Sussex Music Coronavirus: live streaming for Sunday morning services at Chichester Cathedral Coronavirus: Festival of Chichester 2020 cancelled ************* A message from the Editor, Gary Shipton: In order for us to continue to provide high quality and trusted local news, I am asking you to please purchase a copy of our newspapers. With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our local valued advertisers - and consequently the advertising that we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you helping us to provide you with news and information by buying a copy of our newspapers. Our journalists are highly trained and our content is independently regulated by IPSO to some of the most rigorous standards in the world. But being your eyes and ears comes at a price. So we need your support more than ever to buy our newspapers during this crisis. Stay safe, and best wishes. Gary Shipton Editorial Director