8:20pm Thursday 3rd January 2013
By Tarik Al Rasheed
THE bright lights of Hollywood will be coming to the smaller rural corners of the county thanks to a grant of more than £40,000 to make movies more accessible to all.
The Big Lottery Fund’s Village SOS grant scheme has awarded £42,500 to help purchase movie equipment for use in village halls and community venues around the Malvern Hills district.
The cash will help build on a successful community cinema pilot scheme following a £10,000 grant from Malvern Hills District Council.
Over the past 12 months this has seen more than 1,600 people enjoy films such as The Help and Best Exotic Marigold Hotel at 22 venues around the district, including halls in Ripple, Castlemorton and Upton-upon-Severn.
After securing the lottery funding it is now planned to launch an official ‘Rural Reels’ scheme, featuring nine local partners, in April.
The project will aim to ensure regular film screenings in local halls, with some venues having their own dedicated movie equipment and others sharing.
The organisations involved in the Rural Reels project are Castlemorton Cinema Club, Lower Broadheath Village Hall, Clifton-upon-Teme Village Hall, Arts@St Peter’s Church, Malvern, Upton upon Severn Town Council, Ripple Parish Hall, Eastham Memorial Hall, Grimley Peace Hall and Hanley Village Hall.
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