Local mobile cinema receives £5k of National Lottery funding to screen films locally

Audience at Nether HeyfordAudience at Nether Heyford
Audience at Nether Heyford
The ‘Northants Village Cinema’ is celebrating after being awarded over £5,000 in National Lottery funding to support film screening events being hosted in rural communities across the county.

The new funding from The National Lottery Community Fund, which distributes money raised by National Lottery players for good causes and is the largest community funder in the UK, will help subsidise the cost of a show so communities may benefit further from their own ticket sales.

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Founder, Simon Hopkins has been running the shows since 2022 and is assisted by volunteer organisers in each village. It was set up by Simon after the previous organisation providing the equipment closed down during the pandemic.

The National Lottery Community Fund recently launched its strategy, ‘It starts with community’, to underpin its efforts to distribute at least £4 billion of National Lottery funding by 2030.

NVC logoNVC logo
NVC logo

Simon says: “This award is much appreciated. The funder’s mission to support communities to come together is exactly what we achieve with our local film shows. It’s not just an opportunity to enjoy great entertainment but means local people do indeed ‘come together’ alleviating isolation particularly for the older members of the audience. Now, thanks to National Lottery players we will be able to continue to offer this service which, as our local Odeon cinema sadly closes, is an important part of the well being of our communities”.

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All the equipment (including a 3m wide screen) and the projectionist travel direct to venue. A village just needs a volunteer to book their venue dates, (usually a hall or library) promote to their own community and sell tickets. They may already be part of a local club or group meeting up. The N.V.C. is happy to recommend the best current titles or even a classic. Recent popular movie choices include the British black comedy ‘Wicked Little Letters’ or the Oscar-winning ‘The Holdovers’.

If you wish to enquire about bringing the Northants Village Cinema to your own community in 2025, just drop an email to Simon at [email protected]