Job security for Reel Cinema Fareham staff thanks to £115k government grant boost from Culture Recovery Fund

Grants totalling £5m have been handed out by the British Film Institute (BFI) on behalf of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with Reel Cinema Fareham being one of the 33 cinemas to receive a boost.

Reel Cinemas has been awarded £1.5m to support 13 multiplexes, with Fareham’s Market Quay setting to receive £115,385 to help secure its future.

KC Suri, head of Reel Cinemas, said: ‘It has been very important to us to pursue all opportunities to protect the jobs of every staff member at Reel Cinemas, and to enable the cinemas to reopen, when permitted, to continue to serve our communities.

‘This is why we want to thank the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport and the BFI who have awarded us this grant from the Culture Recovery Fund.

‘This vital funding will enable us to protect job security and to manage our business sustainability at this challenging time.’

This comes as part of the final awards to be announced by Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden from the first round of the Government’s £1.57 billion Culture Recovery Fund.

The latest grants, awarded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund and the British Film Institute on behalf of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, build on more than £1bn awarded to a huge range of cultural and heritage organisations last year.

Ben Roberts, chief executive of the BFI, said: ‘Across the country, local independent cinemas are lifelines for communities and often the only form of culture and entertainment.

‘As well as bringing people together to enjoy the magic of the big screen, local cinemas are hubs for educational and film activities and provide thousands of jobs.

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‘The pandemic has made clear just how important local communities are and the support of the Culture Recovery Fund means that many cinemas will be able to reopen and play a vital role in local economies and regeneration.’

The BFI, along with National Lottery Heritage Fund, Historic England and Arts Council England, are currently assessing applications for the remaining £400m in funding from the Culture Recovery Fund.

This extra funding was held back to allow the Government to support organisations through the spring and summer.

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