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Wivenhoe’s REEL APPEAL A plan to establish Wivenhoe’s very own community cinema was launched last year. The idea is to acquire the old St John Ambulance hall in Chapel Road (next to the railway bridge) and develop it as a community asset, principally as a cinema but also as a venue for use by local groups for events such as musical performances, poetry, talks, seminars, etc. Progress could be summed up as slow but steady, and definitely on track although there is still a way to go. At the end of December St John Ambulance accepted the working group’s offer to buy the hall, and this allows a twelve-month window to raise funds to complete the transaction. In addition to individual donations and sponsorship, various fund-raisers are planned, starting with a gig featuring John Cooper Clarke and Hobo Chang on 20 February. Once the hall has been purchased, phase 2 of the project will see the hall being used to generate income to invest in the refurbishment of the building. Phase 3 will be a comfortable cinema which would aim to show a wide range of films suitable for diverse audiences, probably operating 3 days a week. It will be run as a film club staffed by volunteers thus keeping overheads to an absolute minimum. It will also be a very useful community asset providing ideal performance space for poetry, talks and small-scale musical events. The working group have swung into action and a leaflet with all the details has been posted through every letterbox in Wivenhoe. Meanwhile, the formalities have been attended to and Wivenhoe Film Theatre is now a charitable company limited by guarantee. While Wivenhoe Film Theatre has been registered as the name of the company, no decision has been made yet as to the operational name of the cinema. The cinema does have a Patron, however. Distinguished British film director Mike Leigh has accepted the invitation to take on this role, which certainly adds credibility to the group’s endeavours. There is going to be a Public Meeting at 10.30 am on Saturday 30 January in the William Loveless Hall so that anyone who is interested can discuss the plans. Meanwhile, anyone who wants to find out more or get involved should look at the website at www.reelappeal.org.uk or contact Moira Collett on 01206 826404. |
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