A community cinema in Bournemouth, England, may be up and running by autumn thanks to a £7,400 cash injection from the Big Lottery Fund's Awards for All programme.
Each year the Big Lottery Fund distributes 40% of all the money raised for good causes by the UK National Lottery. Their Awards for All program funnels some of the funds into projects that benefit local communities.
The new cinema will be based at the Henry Brown Centre in West Howe and will initially screen films for elderly citizens.
The lottery funds will be used to purchase necessary equipment including a Blu-ray projector.
Councilor Roger Marley has been spearheading the scheme and, being a former cinema manger, the project is close to his heart.
"To achieve something like this, not only as a ward councilor but as a person who has spent his whole life in the cinema industry, is great," Marley said. "I hope it will be a rewarding experience for these retired people."
Marley hopes to show classics such as the romantic drama Brief Encounter (1945) and is also keen to screen some newer offerings like The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2011).
"If the cinema is successful, then we'll move on to engage with other residents of West Howe," Marley promised and was keen to show his gratitude for the lottery funding.
"It's great there's a grant from the Big Lottery which means we can move on," he said.
