In recent years, multiplexes such as the Odeon and UCI have taken over from single screen cinemas in the United Kingdom as the places to go to watch films on the big screen. However, due to the high prices of the multiplexes, MSP Tricia Marwick took it upon herself to set up a community cinema in Glenrothes in Fife, Scotland, at the end of 2009 so that local people could enjoy the film experience without having to spend a small fortune.
Community cinema set-up and funding
Glenrothes community cinema is a non-profit volunteer organisation and has had funding to help to get it started.
“So far we’ve had a £1,000 culture grant from Fife Council and we got £500 from Kingdom Kids, which is part of local radio station Kingdom FM,” says the cinema’s chairman Gavin Howe. “We are applying for various other grants including the National Lottery. We applied for the Postcode Lottery as well but so far we haven’t heard any word back from that.”
Film bookings and prices and the multiplexes
Gavin and two volunteers help to organise the films, book the hall, buy the refreshments and arrange to get the kit out on loan. The films are shown at the local Rothes Halls theatre and on film days, other volunteers are called in to take ticket money, act as ushers and work behind the sweets stall.
The prices are a lot cheaper than the multiplexes, but at the moment the cinema is only open for one day a month. “When we sat down with the Rothes Halls management at the end of last year we set out to show films one Saturday a month to see how it went,” says Gavin. “If it’s successful and we get more people coming along, and if we can get more volunteers, we’ll possibly go twice a month. The goal is to go once a week but that’s quite a while away at the moment.”
Cinema and film popularity
The cinema has had a lot of positive feedback and Gavin hopes that this will give the town a boost.
“There is absolutely nothing to do here since the bowling alley was closed down,” he says. “The amenities we have in this town don’t seem to be well-used. We want to try and get the families and children coming along so we are trying to keep the prices as low as possible. If we are still here this time next year, then that can only be a good thing for Glenrothes.”
Other community cinemas
Another community cinema was recently set up in Leven in Fife, and Gavin thinks that they are going to become commonplace over the next couple of years.
“We set the cinema up because it costs a fortune to get into the multiplexes. A lot of people cannot afford to pay the prices that they charge on a regular basis and the cinema should be something we go to once a week, not once every few months,” he says. “I heard on the news that a community cinema is opening up in Kinross as well, which is great because the more people who open up the more chance there is that multiplexes will lower their prices.”
Kim Lockhart - Kim Lockhart is a freelance content writer & web assistant at STV and has professional qualifications in journalism & management.
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