ARTS organisations in Kirklees are delighted to be getting a total of £2.6m.

The money – handed out by the Arts Council – will be used to encourage more people to take part in arts events.

The Poetry Business in Huddersfield is one of the 13 groups to receive cash. It will be given a substantial grant after a Kirklees Council cash cut last summer left many people outraged.

After 17 years of council support the Byram Arcade group was told its £10,000 grant was no longer available.

Authors and poets, including Poet Laureate Andrew Motion and Huddersfield writer Simon Armitage (pictured), voiced their opposition to the decision.

But the Arts Council money means the group can now move forward.

Director Janet Fisher said: “We are absolutely delighted about it, over the moon.

“It is wonderful news for us and it certainly covers our loss. Most of all it’s nice to be appreciated.

“I think Kirklees didn’t realise until all the publicity that we are quite important.

“But it gave us the chance to look at ourselves. I would like to thank everybody for their support during the traumatic period for us.”

Mrs Fisher says the grant will be used to develop the work they do in producing books and supporting writers.

The £2.6m Arts Council investment in Kirklees covers the next three years.

Others groups to benefit include theatre company Full Body and The Voice, puppet group Faulty Optic and arts and health organisation Open Art.

Heads Together, the Chol Theatre, Proper Job Theatre and the Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival will also be supported financially.

South Asian dance company Dance Diversity will receive money for the first time.

And a new Slaithwaite organisation, Watershed Arts Practice, will also receive a grant.

Fixby-based publishing company Primary Colours will get £32,000.

Marcia Hutchinson, founder and director, said: “We are very excited about this grant.

“We are fortunate to be one of the few organisations in the region to receive an increase in our funding that is substantially above inflation.

“We are now looking forward to delivering a variety of arts development programmes for public benefit.

“The work Primary Colours undertakes not only encourages children and young people to take part in the arts, but also celebrates diversity and supports the creative economy.”

Last year the company’s in-school work reached over 22,000 children and 2,000 teachers.

However, there was bad news for one organisation.

The Word Hoard, a Lockwood-based co-operative of writers, visual artists, performers and musicians, will no longer receive Arts Council money.

Andy Carver from the Yorkshire Arts Council said: “We demonstrate our vision for arts in this region.

“We believe that as a result of our investment over the next three years the arts in Yorkshire will be of even higher quality and accessible to even more people than they are now.”