Our Delivery Report
Funded on 31 March 2021 | Delivered on 08 October 2021
£63,421
RAISED
263
BACKERS
50
DAYS TO FUND
BIGGEST PLEDGE
£30,000
From Mayor of London
500
people have visited this project!
Michele Colyer donated £250
140 Volunteers involved
1 Community building or spaces saved
donated £250
Catalyst Housing donated £5,000
08/10/21 - 08/10/21
Opening Evening
David Brockie donated £250
Juliet and Neal McDonald donated £200
£780 Revenue generated
2 Exhibitions created
Acton Gardens Community Chest fund donated £5,000
1 Heritage site saved
Cake Consultancy Ltd donated £100
1 Heritage site improved
Richard Sattin donated £250
1 building transformed
80 Days volunteering opportunities
Trish Longhurst donated £200
50 People involved in project delivery
Bright Ideas Fund donated £5,000
30 Community events created
More about our impact
The environment
We have already carried out a lot of essential repairs and badly needed maintenance on this iconic building. We hope to continue this restorative work as the project develops. We have completely replaced and upgraded the toilets on the ground floor as part of the cinema development. The cinema has a state of the art air conditioning unit. The ground floor has all new lighting and electrical fittings - and the fire and security has been upgraded. We have purchased new recycling bins for the public to use. All the cinema seats have been salvaged from a closed-down cinema and we have used pre-used technical equipment as much as possible.
The local economy
We have already had an impact on the High Street as many people have walked through the doors 'just to see what is going on' . Bears cafe has become an instant attraction - opening all day and into the evening. The cinema is screening films at least twice a day every day and 3 times a day over the weekend. Many visitors remember the library - perhaps from taking their children there or from being children in that setting themselves and they all have memories they want to share. Placed in the very centre of the High Street in Acton we hope that our presence will continue to enhance the offer of Acton, increase footfall and boost the night-time economy.
Volunteering, jobs & education
We have offered over 60 days volunteering for people with practical skills such and painting and decorating. As this phase of the project came to a close we began recruiting a new wave of volunteers for front of house and gallery duties. There are at least 4 volunteers on site for each cinema screening. Additionally, we have employed 2 venue managers on contracts of a minimum of 20 hours per week. We hope to be looking for more employed staff as the enterprise gains in revenue. All the front of house volunteers are on a training programmed delivered by the venue managers.
Arts, culture & heritage
We are proud to have brought a new cultural hub to Acton High Street. The cinema has been a immediate success and each performance is getting booked. Our gallery showings were well attending and very successful and we have preserved the legacy of the building in all the work we have undertaken. We have even restored an original marble sign - found abandoned in the basement - and placed it in the cafe for all visitors to see.
Activity, health and leisure
We are in the process of working with the Ealing Film Festival to establish a subsidised training programme for young film makers. Our gallery space is already being used by 3 varying dance classes - music and movement for little ones, street dance for beginners and Lindy hop for all!
