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Good news for #BARRYCINEMEMO

Arts Council of Wales Capital Lottery says yes to £191,730 grant to support the
Memo Arts Centre with digital cinema conversion.

The Memo has a long established history as a cultural hub for the people of Barry and beyond. As a Registered Charity, the Memo relies greatly on its funders and its audiences to help and support the development of the venue, its programme and its future success.

Since the closure of the only cinema in Barry, we have been working towards securing cinema at the Memo for everyone to enjoy. The Memo currently delivers regular weekly screenings that include blockbusters, specialised world/foreign language film, and family films on Saturdays and during school holidays, but alas, not as a fully digital cinema.

The Memo has shown a wide and varied film programme as part of our extensive arts and cultural programme and education work. Since starting our CINE-MEMO film programme in January 2013, we have screened over 100 mainstream films, alongside our specialised films programme which is supported by Ffilm Cymru.

CINE-MEMO has regenerated interest in film from our cinema lovers who hail from Barry, Sully, Penarth and Cardiff. We have welcomed nearly 7,000 cinema goers from the very young, to our older patrons who love their movie Mondays, family favourites and international world cinema, our programme has provided a wide choice of affordable films for all to enjoy.

During the past two years, our main goal has been to secure funding for new equipment to present the best sound and vision quality that digital cinema affords for our audiences to experience and enjoy. New digital cinema equipment will also mean we can bring exciting live streaming productions and events to the Memo stage, like opera, National Theatre, Globe Theatre and RSC events along with BFI archive screenings as well as the new release blockbusters, which are not available locally.

In October 2013, the Memo provided the Arts Council of Wales (ACW) Lottery Capital Division with an expression of interest for capital funding as part of their Phase 2 Digital Cinema Conversion project, this led to the Memo being involved in an extensive consultation process with the ACW and its consultants for the preparation of the final funding application.

The Memo has recently received the wonderful and exciting news that our grant application to secure this major investment has been successful. The grant will enable the Memo to purchase a new digital screen, digital servers and projector, along with digital surround sound and to build a new projection booth. The Arts Council of Wales Lottery investment will enable us to present cinema at its very best.

Our film programme has become loved by many, and now we are calling all film lovers to help us with our important fundraising campaign, so our lovely old Memo has what it takes to present digital cinema.

To secure the £191,730 grant agreed by the Arts Council of Wales, the Memo has to contribute 25% matched funding towards the total £239.662 budget.

Securing the £47,000 matched funding has been the prime objective for the Memo staff and trustees. The Memo is currently in discussion with a number of principle funders to support us with this major development and hopes that the people of Barry will help support us to bring digital cinema to the Memo.

To make all this possible, we are calling on the people of Barry and beyond for their support to help us raise our match funding target of £47,000.

For the price of a £5.00 cinema ticket, your donation will help bring the latest in cinema and live streaming to Barry by spring 2015. Whether you can afford to give in pennies or pounds, your donation will make a real difference.

LOVE FILM? WE DO TOO! #BARRYCINEMEMO – TO DONATE £5, please text MEM015 £5 to 70070.

Your continued support and donations will help us to make the only local cinema experience better. Donations can also be made by completing gift aid donation forms (available from the Box Office and online.

The Memo is an independent registered charity which generates over 56% of its income from its programme and events, and receives grants from Barry Town Council, Vale of Glamorgan Council, the Arts Council of Wales and Ffilm Cymru.

For more information about the fundraising appeal, please email fundraising@memoartscentre.co.uk.

Kate Long, General Manager
November 2014

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