Picture House receives Culture Recovery Fund award
Tuesday, 22 December 2020
Hebden Bridge Picture House is delighted to be a recipient of two grants from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport's Culture (DCMS) Recovery Fund, totalling £101,271, as part of the British Film Institute's scheme awarding DCMS money to independent cinemas.
The Safety grant of £8,088 enabled the cinema to re-open safely in October, having invested in equipment for the building, PPE and cleaning materials. The cinema has been able to create a welcoming and calm cinema environment where safety will always be the top priority.
Opened for 6 days
Whilst the Picture House was only able to trade for six days before the second national lockdown took effect, staff and customers alike commented that they feel reassured by the work done to make the big screen experience enjoyable.
The Picture House Manager has just received the excellent news that the cinema is also the recipient of a Business Sustainability award of £93,183, again as part of the DCMS' Culture Recovery Fund. This funding will allow the Picture House to cover its operating costs over the course of the current financial year and will secure the cinema's future well into 2021, which is the Picture House's centenary year.
Rebekah Fozard, the Picture House Manager, comments, "We are so thrilled to have been awarded these grants, which will support us through unprecendented times. We are able to plan for our future, knowing we will make it through the periods of closure the pandemic has necessitated. We would like to thank all of our customers for their support and good wishes during a difficult year and together with the rest of the Picture House staff, I really do look forward to welcoming you back to the cinema in 2021."
Centenary year
Once the cinema is able to re-open safely, they will be publishing a full programme of films and events across 2021 celebrating 100 years of our beloved cinema being at the heart of Hebden Bridge. In the meantime the cinema is curating a programme of films to rent online and enjoy at home, whilst the cinema is closed, with half of the rental revenue being given by the films' distributors to support of the cinema.
Visit the Picture House website for more information.