Community Cinema to open in Southport town centre

Photo: Southport Bijou Cinema, 8 Post Office, Southport

Community Cinema to open in Southport town centre 

OTSNews.co.uk can reveal that a community volunteer-led and not-for-profit cimema is set to open in the old Latin Lounge venue, Post Office Avenue, Southport.

Owner, Michael Lockwood said: “Well after much searching and decision making, I have chosen the former Latin Lounge, 8 Post Office Avenue, the rooms are just fine for what we want to do, it’s air-conditioned and it’s just off Lord Street and hopefully opening in mid-2017.

“I’ve just applied to set up a Community Interest Company (like Make It Workshop and the Youth & Community Partnership) as we’ll be volunteer-led and not-for-profit. There are some repairs and alterations to make inside although we want to keep the art-deco feel of the Southport Bijou Cinema with a competitive admission price of £5 a film with concessions for seniors and students. Open from 10am to 10pm with an emphasis on matinees for the town’s senior and leisure economy.

“Subject to Sefton planning and licences, the intention is to keep the cafe/bar area serving coffee, tea and cake plus wine and bottled beer to the general public. We hope to create a cinema lounge with easy chairs and sofas adjacent for matinee films that can also be hired for live performances and meetings. Adjacent is a kitchen that can be used for organisations bringing in their own food if they want to hire the space for their own film shows or other events.”

“Upstairs will be a 50 seater raked auditorium for films and live performances. Adjacent is a small meeting room that can also be used as a media space with large screen television. Hopefully a small lift will be installed to make the whole building disabled friendly. We will show old and new films from classics to independent cinema so that north Sefton will have more film choice without travelling to Liverpool and Manchester.”

“But to make this work we need volunteers and some need only help out for an hour a week. The more volunteers the more chance of the building being used most of each week. There are vacancies for the cafe/bar and ticket sales and some volunteers will be able to put on their own film shows. No experience is necessary as training will be provided. If anyone wants to volunteer send your name, email address and phone number to southportcinema@gmail.com or at 0752 888 9549. Volunteer meetings will take place soon and everyone can follow us on Facebook and Twitter.”

Submit News Contact us with your community, business or sport news. Phone 07581350321

Email ots@otsnews.co.uk

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Otsnews-Southport-1575528676012039/

Twitter  www.twitter.com/onthespot_news

Breaking local news as it happens, searchable archives with photographs, the ability to instantly comment on news articles – there are so many advantages to OTS (Onthespot) News.

If you want your news read locally online then send it to ots@otsnews.co.uk – relying only on the newspaper is to restrict yourself to an ever reducing audience.