LONDON, ENGLAND.- The Arts Council of England has awarded £3.5M to The Photographers' Gallery. The Arts Council of England has awarded The Photographers' Gallery £3.5M to help recognize its goal of developing a new center of photography in Britain, with increased exhibition space, a wider range of activities and innovative educational facilities. Paul Wombell, Director, says: "After many years of promoting our vision of photography to The Arts Council, I feel this award is recognition that The Photographers' Gallery is a unique venue, and that photography is a medium in its own right. Over the past eighteen months we have been reviewing our role in Britain and looking enviously at the new photography centers opening up in Europe. With this generous award The Photographers' Gallery can now ensure that Britain is not left behind in facilitating the needs of photographers and educating the widest possible public on photography. We have been actively promoting this vision to major art funders in England during the last six months. This has been favorably received." The Photographers' Gallery is a registered charity with a yearly turnover of £1.5M, over 60% of which is self generated through sponsorship, membership and trading, which includes our Print Sales Gallery and Bookshop. Our major public partnership is with London Arts. In 2000 alone the Gallery received 400,000 visitors, an 8% attendance increase on the previous year. This makes The Photographers' Gallery the most highly attended photography venue in Europe.