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Economic, Regeneration Tourism and Transport
Project Development Fund |
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SECTION A – PROJECT SCOPING |
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NYC Area Constituency Committee Name |
Selby and Ainsty |
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Project Name |
Village Hall Cinemas |
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Description of Project Location |
Selby District |
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NYC Division(s) in which the project is located |
Selby and Ainsty |
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Project Lead Officer Details |
Name |
Sarah Fenwick |
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Job Title |
Regeneration Principal Officer – Selby and Ainsty PCA |
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sarah.fenwick@northyorks.gov.uk |
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Telephone |
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1. PROJECT DETAILS |
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Please outline why the budget is required and what are the current barriers to project development it will help overcome?
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The project aims to provide a cinema provision for two rural villages in the Selby and Ainsty ACC area. At present the villages of Sherburn and Tadcaster have a cinema provision, but the majority of villages in the area are not served by any cinema facility. Many people travel to Castleford to visit the cinema. The Selby and Ainsty Committee members have articulated that cinema is a valuable and cultural resource that many rural areas would consider a welcome resource and asset to the community. Rural cinemas would provide an important cultural and social engagement hub in the villages identified by North Yorkshire Council Regeneration and Cultural services. This project aligns with NYC’s Now Then! Cultural Place Partnership programme currently underway in Selby, Sherburn and Tadcaster, steered and developed in partnership with community and cultural organisations.
Current barriers include: Funding/start up budget to initiate the project locally. Budget is required for equipment, marketing, venue and equipment in order to initiate and develop the project. Once established, the cinema will become self-funding through membership and ticket sales. This also allows money to recirculate within the local economy.
Training, support and expert advice are required in the initial development of the project. Local people interested in community exhibition may not have a film background or a knowledge of film programming, making it difficult to navigate the journey. Training and knowledge would be provided to develop and progress the project.
The Cultural and Creative Development Officer from North Yorkshire Council Cultural team will work in collaboration with the Regeneration team. We will identify and select a suitable venue within an appropriate community, where a cinema provision could function and thrive; with a robust and diverse community who can work together to administer, manage and sustain the cinema provision.
Booking films for community screenings is complicated at first – where to find films, as well as how distribution operates in the UK. Advice, support, knowledge sharing and signposting will simplify this process.
Rural communities experience rural isolation, social exclusion and a lack of cultural hubs for people to gather. The cinema, with guidance and support can lead to new connections, new audiences, new community activities, educational programmes, establishment of connections with schools and colleges, visiting speakers, job creation, nurturing of local talent, and ongoing learning and knowledge sharing within and outside of the community.
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Please detail what specific costs the budget will be spent on?
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The budget will be spent on recommended and reliable technology. This project would purchase reliable equipment for two village cinemas comprising projector, PA, screen, speakers and microphones. Also provided would be venue preparation for cinema exhibition: blackout blinds and furniture. Initial one-off start-up costs will be provided including staff training and support with business sustainability, membership of Cinema for All support and distribution, screening licences, insurance and branding. Ongoing costs would be met by the venue using the proceeds from ticket sales.
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Please describe the future project that this activity will help to unlock.
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- Cinema is the most accessible and popular form of ticketed cultural experience in the UK (UK Cinema Association) and is an artform familiar and popular with all demographics. Evidence shows that one of the greatest areas of positive impact of cinema is for marginalised people –e.g., those on low incomes, rurally isolated or with long-term health issues and their carers (UK Cinema Association). - The future project unlocked is the ongoing development and progression of a sustainable film club/cinema. This allows the opportunity for local people to navigate and learn the development and logistics of setting up a local cinema club – knowledge that can be shared within the community and in other communities. - Volunteering opportunities for local residents, a valuable asset to wellbeing and positive mental health within the community. - Work provision for staff & committee – possibility of two paid members of staff – manager/treasurer and Projectionist. - Educational programming, connecting with local schools and colleges, screening of locally made film and opportunities for young people to engage with the industry. - The opportunity to create specialist social events, attendance of filmmakers and industry professionals, film seasons, Q&As, special screenings, film festivals, discussions and engagement with other film communities across the country. - Nurture and acknowledgement of local talent that may otherwise not be retained. - Creation of social and cultural hub, combatting social isolation. - Bringing culture to communities in rural areas. - Community cinemas are run by audiences - for audiences and give communities the power to choose the films that they want to see, when they want to see them. Local cinemas allow for local programming by local film makers, exhibition of local archive footage on a big screen, documentary, world cinema, classics, short films, animation and so much more for a local audience to enjoy. - Community cinema generally provides a warm and friendly atmosphere, where all audience members of all ages can feel welcomed and secure. - Opportunities to discuss and debate film, creating connections between people who might otherwise be isolated. - Diversity and Inclusion of audience, demographics and all community members regardless of age or ability.
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2. STRATEGIC FIT |
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Detail how the project will contribute to the North Yorkshire Council ‘Council Plan’ and the Economic Growth Strategy or the Destination Management Plan
(Reference should be made on how a future project will help deliver the respective strategies)
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The North Yorkshire Council plan 2024-2028 plans to build on North Yorkshire’s natural capital, strong local economy and resilient communities, to improve the way local services are delivered and support a good quality of life for all. How community cinema contributes to delivery of the plan: Place and Environment - Allows for the communities to support each other and work together to create a sustainable community arts hub. - Encourages digital connectivity through development of a website and skill sharing. - Link in with North Yorkshire Council branding and ethos of connecting with all communities in North Yorkshire. Economy - Creation and establishment of a sustainable volunteer-led enterprise, enabling people to prosper. - Training and skill sharing of film programming, distribution, licencing and establishment of a local film club. - Support and encouragement of culture and the arts in rural communities. - Potential to grow and increase interest in the area through film activity, networking, advertising opportunities and connection to the wider 750 strong local cinema groups across the UK, also helping local businesses to thrive and grow. - Connection to the wider North Yorkshire community through improved communication, interaction and collaboration between districts in the new council. Health and Wellbeing - Volunteering opportunities: research shows that volunteering helps combat social isolation, prevents depression, increases motivation and provides a sense of accomplishment, develops social connections, increases confidence, provides a sense of purpose, creates a sense of community and makes people happy. - A local community film club supports a good quality of life and provides a new and interesting social outlet. - An accessible community cinema promotes diversity, equality and inclusion by appealing to people of all ages, demographics and abilities. It also introduces the experiences, traditions and practices of other communities, countries, nationalities and worlds. - Gathering within the community for a common purpose makes people feel safe and allows the community to look out for each other. People - People feel safe and protected in social, familiar gatherings. - Encourages upskilling, knowledge sharing and learning. Potential for educational programming, screening films from the curriculum, discussion, film industry activities and involvement from local people. - Socialising and social cohesion is also a safe way for communities to be aware of their more vulnerable residents. Organisation - Local cinema will provide good quality, value for money services that are audience focused and accessible to all. - The service will be initially supported, to ensure it’s financial sustainability.
The local community cinema is an example of a community service that is locally based, accessible and provides a valuable service to everyone involved. Through support and training, it encourages local empowerment, education, confidence building, partnerships and new activity.
The cultural provision of local cinema aligns with locality working as a key element to the council plan. Part of the vision of the Destination Management Plan, informed by the Cultural development Strategy is ‘to improve the current offer and develop new, meaningful experiences, events, and products’, which starts with local communities developing sustainable cultural events and practices, with support from North Yorkshire Council, encouraging self-sufficiency, confidence building, knowledge sharing and valuable upskilling.
This Strategic Framework works alongside the Destination management Plan and aims to enable collaboration, support shared learning and promote creative ambition. A local cinema supports and helps deliver the aims to collaborate, provide meaningful cinema experiences and events, build confidence and share knowledge withing the community, support upskilling and bring cultural practice to rural areas that may not have adequate exposure or opportunity within the cultural industries.
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3. LOCAL FIT |
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Detail how this project meets local priorities including linkages with local regeneration plans and strategies. |
- This project aligns with the two year Now Then! Cultural project underway in Selby District which aims to bring new and innovative cultural initiatives to Selby District. Two-year cultural project for North Yorkshire towns awarded £350K - BBC News
- Rural cinema is a valuable and sustainable asset to any small community. It can have a significant impact on the film industry – supporting home grown film and talent, on local regeneration and on people’s lives.
- Through community cinema, 25% of films shown by community groups are UK productions.
- Screenings can be organised anywhere in the community, allowing for new and innovative use of space, buildings and venues.
- They allow increased and continuing engage with people in the community. A film society experience brings people together as a community and community cinemas promotes the habit of cinema-going and social cohesion.
- Village cinema screenings involve projecting films in a local municipal building, to offer cultural and social opportunities to potentially isolated local residents. Film screenings can be organised in collaboration with the local community to select films and schedule and adapted to suit all demographics.
- The main aims of the cinema screenings is to enhance the cultural provision in rural areas, to support and empower the community to make this sustainable and to encourage community cohesion and potential visitor engagement.
- There is endless potential for additional programmes of activities before or after screenings. Cinema screenings can also be used to communicate and discuss other community news or initiatives.
- Community cinema demonstrates a form of social innovation, ensuring the cost-effective provision of a cultural service that would not otherwise be available to the local rural community. It encourages social connections and community building which can offset problems of loneliness and isolation within the community and has the potential to trigger further community activities, skill sets and growth.
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4. FINANCE |
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Will the service area be making a financial contribution to the project development costs? If so, please detail.
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No |
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Please confirm the amount of money required.
Please provide a breakdown of costs / estimates where available and how these have been calculated.
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Budget required: £20,000
£10,000 per cinema for two villages
· Equipment: £6,100 x 2 - Projector for Blu Ray/DVD £2500 - DVD/Blu Ray Player £400 - Screen £1000 - PA & Speakers £1800 - Microphones £400 · Venue & Cinema Prep: £2300 x 2 - Blackout blinds £1500 - Seating & Furniture £600 - Marketing £200 - Misc/contingency: (ticket desk/safe/lighting): £200 · One-off start-up costs £1,400 x2 (would be funded in future from ticket revenue) - Cinema for All membership £95 - Public Liability Insurance for the film club (WRS Insurance) £105 - Premises Exhibition Licence £100 - Screen licence for films being shown £1000 approx. (£100 per film) - PRS licence (to play music): £100
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5. DELIVERY, TIMESCALES AND MONITORING |
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What is the staffing resource within NYC required / how will it be resourced?
Has the capacity to complete the activity been confirmed with the relevant service manager?
Dependencies on other NYC services
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The Creative and Cultural Development Officer will provide support. This has been cleared and sanctioned by the appropriate service managers.
No additional staffing resource is required. There is no other dependency on NYC services. |
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Please outline the anticipated timeframe for delivery of the activity?
Please include details of how the activity will be procured (if required).
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March 31st 2025.
Managed by Regeneration Team in collaboration with the Creative and Cultural Development Officer from the Culture team.
Procurement of equipment can be done by the lead officers involved from North Yorkshire Council, in collaboration with the community and the venue. Advice and guidance can be sought from our colleagues in Sherburn community cinema group and from Cinema for All.
Support will be procured from Cinema for All who provide information on development and establishment of community film clubs, with advice on insurance, equipment, licencing, venue and marketing. Cinema for All are also a film distributor with an extensive library to programme from and provide advice on programming for local and specific audiences.
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Can the proposed work to be funded delivered within the allocated financial year? |
Yes |
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How will progress and the outcome of the project be reported to the ACC to aid effective monitoring? |
The lead officer, or a nominated representative will provide a report and ongoing verbal and written updates throughout the process. A final report will be submitted when the project is complete. |
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6. BENEFITS |
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What are the benefits of undertaking this work now?
What opportunities / estimated economic, social or environmental benefits could be derived for the future project outlined above?
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Local cinema generates opportunities for communities to gather, empowering local people to manage and attend screenings.
Local cinema screenings have the potential to provide a meeting place and social cultural hub, an offer that combats social isolation, building social cohesion – potentially leading to new connections and new community activities.
Local cinema, when supported and sustained, has the potential to build local skills and competences through knowledge sharing and upskilling. It provides opportunities for additional activities with educational or health benefits as well as for citizen engagement in other local initiatives – through activities carried out alongside the screenings.
Community cinemas foster and empower networks of people through the activities of both managing and attending screening events with the potential to build local skills and competences and share knowledge.
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AREA COMMITTEE SIGN OFF |
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ACC Meeting Date When Project Scope Agreed |
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Draft Minute Number |
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Signed (ACC Chairman) |
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Date |
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