Lincolnshire cinemas get £700k government grant

Five cinemas in Lincolnshire have received almost £700,000 in government support from the Culture Recovery Fund.

The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport announced a £16 million slice will go towards arts and cultural organisations in a bid to support the industry during the COVID-19 pandemic, which has decimated cinemas financially.

The most money granted in Lincolnshire – £282,169 – was to the Playhouse Cinema in Louth (Parkway Entertainment Company Ltd).

Kirsty Dobson, Manager at Playhouse Louth said: “The Playhouse will be 99 years old this Christmas, and the contribution from the Culture Recovery Fund towards all of our new safety measures has been brilliant.”

She added: “We’re a traditional cinema dating back to 1920, so knowing that there’s help and support to help us keep the cinema alive and safe is wonderful.”

Here’s what the other Lincolnshire cinemas have been awarded:

• Kinema in the Woods, Woodhall Spa (Cinema in The Woods Ltd) – £139,201
• Savoy Boston (Savoy Cinemas (Boston) Ltd) – 121,313
• Savoy Grantham (Savoy Cinemas (Boston) Ltd) – 121,313
• Loewen, Sutton-on-Sea (Loewen cinema) – £19,240

Kinema in the Woods

Philip Jones, Managing Director, Kinema in the Woods: “We are very grateful to the Culture Recovery Fund for supporting the costs of putting into place safety measures and providing PPE which meant we could safely reopen our doors.”

Savoy Boston and Grantham

James Collington, Managing Director of Savoy Cinemas (Boston) Ltd: “Our staff will continue to be employed and we will now focus on remaining the primary leisure and cultural offer for the towns in which we operate, ensuring that we can continue our unique and diverse programming – including mainstream and event cinema along with subtitled, autism, educational and senior screenings.”

Loewen Cinema

Marcus Earl, Owner Manager, Loewen Cinema: “The support that we received from the Culture Recovery Fund is a much needed life line meaning we can see a future for cinema. Stepping in to help us literally means we can continue and offer entertainment in Mablethorpe and the surrounding area.”

Cinemas can apply for a further £14 million in grants from the second round of the Culture Recovery Fund.

Some 202 cinemas have received funding so far from a £30 million pot allocated by the British Film Institute (BFI), on behalf of DCMS.

In many cases, the fund comprises of a health and safety award (capped at £10,000) and/or a business sustainability award.

Some cinemas which have received health & safety funding may also be in the process of applying for business sustainability awards.

The deadline for productions to register for the scheme has been extended until April 2021.

Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said: “The magic of film is such an important part of the festive period and this investment will help protect our independent cinemas so they’re around for many Christmases to come.”