2 Projects Funded
Browse all the community projects we've supported. Each one represents your contribution to making Helensburgh better.
Giving Back to the Community
Stopgap Community Cinema CIC
We are Stopgap Community Cinema, a CIC company based in Helensburgh, Argyll and Bute. We are a CIC company whereby any profits are fed back for the benefit of the local community. We started screenings in November 2024 when the local cinema closed to seek a buyout. Since November 2024 we have held monthly public screenings and monthly free screenings for local charities and community organisations. Recently we have widened our operations to offer on the job work experience and more formal training via the Independent Cinema Office. At present we have Kyle, an adult with learning disabilities who is gaining on the job experience in front of house. We also have three unpaid interns, Keir, Angus and Mnstry, a Ukrainian refugee living in Helensburgh, who are receiving online training in all aspects of cinema operations. Kyle in particular has blossomed in his front of house role and proudly wears his 'staff' badge. We have just celebrated our first birthday and are seeking funding for our second year. We plan to organise monthly free screenings for local community organisations and charities and include 'relaxed' screenings designed for Dementia and Autistic audiences. There are many benefits of cinema beyond entertainment which includes stress relief, emotional catharsis and empathy building, and the social benefits include building social contacts and reducing isolation and loneliness. Each screening costs a distributor licence fee of £104.40 and room hire of £58.50, a total of £162.90 per screening.
Supporting 240 beneficiaries
Save the Tower
The Venue @ St Columba ltd
The Tower Cinema was in operation from 2014 - 2023 as a cinema and arts venue. It has been widely used by Helensburgh and surrounding area residents over the years. We now hope to purchase part of the building for the community and are in the process of completing stage 2 of our Scottish Land Fund application. Once we have secured the purchase of the building we intend to re-establish the provision of cinema for the community, showing latest releases, film festivals and live theatre streaming. We will also provide live performance in the main auditorium, including bands, theatre and talks. We plan to have a community enrichment programme focussing on the many groups that are routinely excluded and marginalised from cinema and arts entertainment. Helensburgh has a wealth of voluntary organisations that support such groups and we will partner with them. We feel very strongly that in providing a location for the community to experience live cinema and events, we save many hundred of journeys to facilities in Glasgow and beyond. This in turn will bring people to Helensburgh that will spend in other businesses in the town. We are looking to host a live event with a high quality band that would have wide appeal. The typical cost of this ranges from £1,500 - £2000. The McCommitments (the commitments tribute) is an example of the standard we would be looking to book. If successful with our grant from Heart we would hope that this fundraising event would generate between £3k - £3,500 for our project.
Supporting 30,000 beneficiaries
Have a Project That Needs Funding?
If you're a local organisation with a community-focused project, we'd love to hear from you. Our next grant round opens soon.
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