Thousands of people attended the 12 Days of Christmas screenings in aid of Woolton Picture House
The cinema has briefly reopened this month in a bid to try and raise funds(Image: Andrew Teebay Liverpool Echo)
The new owners of Woolton Picture House said they’ve taken a significant step towards securing its long term future after a 12 day drive to raise funds.
After Kevin Fearon walked past the then derelict cinema with his wife Gillian Miller earlier this year, the pair decided they had to do all they could to try and save the picture house.
Having previously been instrumental in saving the Royal Court, the couple decided to pool their expertise into trying to resurrect Woolton Picture House. Reaching an agreement with the previous owners to buy the venue for £450,000, the couple set up a Community Interest Company [CIC] to raise funds for the purchase and an additional £250,000 for its refurbishment.
Just last month, the cinema received a major boost after Crampton Bros (Coopers) Ltd donated a £100,000 to the campaign. But, in another bid to try and raise funds for the cinema, Kevin and Gillian came up with the idea of temporarily re-opening the venue in the run up to Christmas to screening festive films over the course of 12 days.
7,300 tickets have been sold over the 12 days of Christmas screenings (Image: Andrew Teebay Liverpool Echo)
Kevin said: “We put them [the tickets] on sale hoping that there’d be an interest in us re-opening the cinema, but we sold 7,300 tickets raising nearly £73,000 for the cinema, but that actually doesn’t include the costs of putting the films on.”
As Kevin, Gillian and a dedicated team of volunteers worked tirelessly to bring the cinema into working order ahead of their 12 Days of Christmas fundraising drive, the picture house managed to sell almost all tickets to the screenings.
Kevin said: “We’ve made about £150,000 in donations, we think that we can maybe add about £50,000 from the ticket income and from the popcorn, ice cream and drink sales. By the new year, I’m sure we will be over £200,000 and that means we are getting closer to halfway to purchasing the building. Hopefully, getting to that point will be the catalyst, the little nudge to some people to say ‘yeah, I can give some [money] now because we’re nearly there’.”
Earlier this year Kevin and Gillian exchanged contracts with the previous owners to buy it for £450,000(Image: Andrew Teebay Liverpool Echo)
However, while issuing a positive update regarding the plans to save the cinema, Kevin has urged people not to rest on their laurels. He said: “The speech that I deliver before each film is to encourage people who haven’t given, to not just think that somebody else will. We need everybody who wants the building to be open, to play their part by giving what they can. I’m not saying to break the bank, I’m not asking for people to give money that they haven’t got, but if they have got some, please give part of it to the cinema because it’s not just a building, it’s for the community, it’s for the greater good.”
While he has built up an emotional connection with the cinema in recent months as he tries to bring it back to life, Kevin says he’s been blown away by the reaction of locals as they step foot in the cinema for the first time in years.
He said: “You see how special it is to other people because it’s been there since 1927 and we’ve had people in their 80s who used to come with their parents, so it’s been a family thing for decades and to have lost it would have been a dreadful thing for Liverpool’s history and for the people of Woolton. It’s very heartening and satisfying to see people coming into the building and wanting to be there.”
Kevin and Gill have enlisted the help of volunteers to help try and revive the cinema (Image: Andrew Teebay Liverpool Echo)
However, there was one moment in particular that has further reaffirmed his decision to try and save the cinema. He said: “I remember on the first night, there was a woman in watching White Christmas on her own and she was in tears because it took her back to watching it with her parents 50 years ago.”
He added: “So there’s been some lovely moments and it’s been very exciting for us to know that there’s other people besides ourselves who are keen to get the cinema back open.”
To donate or learn more about the campaign, you can visit www.wooltoncinema.com.