''We must treasure our small, independent venues that have struggled to stay open' says Derbyshire cinema owner

Paul Carr, 53, and his wife Esther Patterson, who run The Northern Light Cinema in Wirksworth received a total of £27,749 last year from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) Culture Recovery Fund, which was allocated by the British Film Institute (BFI).

The first round of the £22 million investment has been awarded to 207 independent and non-profit cinemas across the country during the coronavirus crisis to prevent businesses from closing.

Overall, the £8,050 from the Health and Safety Award along with the first instalment of the £19,699 Business Sustainability Award helped Wirksworth’s only cinema to adapt its business model to improve facilities, promote social distancing, and hand-hygiene so it can survive in a Covid-19 environment.

Paul, who also runs a hand-blown glass lighting business, said the Culture Recovery Fund helped to sustain their 18th century cinema complete with a speakeasy style bar, which last opened its doors on March 16, 2020.

The couple planned to welcome customers back for the first time since lockdown in October last year and then again in January, 2021 but the moves were both postponed due to two further country-wide shutdowns.

"We realised that if we reopen we have to open with social distancing and we're a small venue anyway but the maths was really hard to make a break-even business with just 52 seats”, he said.

"We had to go down to 26 seats to enable social distancing, which meant that we had to change the business model.

"Whereas before we were charging £10 per ticket maximum, we realised we were going to have charge more up to £12 or £12.50 for a prime time, Saturday evening cinema seat.

"If you are going to have to charge more, you are going to have to offer more to try and balance out the offer.

"We realised we needed to invest in the auditorium so the seats are a little bit more comfortable, people have their little side tables and allowing people to order drinks from the comfort of their seat.

"When we explained that to the BFI they said they were happy to fund this fundamental shift which means that when you can open, you have more chance of being a sustainable business, because running those 26 seats without those changes we would have been running at a loss."

The cinema’s sound system has also been improved and new dining booths have been erected in the speakeasy style, vintage bar to keep groups of six protected from those next to them.

Paul and Esther also used the Health and Safety grant to pay for glazed partitions at the bar, contactless entry so people can scan their own tickets and a new ordering system so customers can purchase drinks from their seat.

While the business owners started the first lockdown with five members of staff, The Northern Light which opened in 2013, now has just two full-time workers after employees left to pursue other opportunities.

"It was a real sad loss to see your creation being put into hibernation”, Paul added.

"Our staff have taken other part time work just to keep themselves sane and I suppose there is only a certain amount of time that you can expect people to stay engaged in a job while they are on furlough if they are looking at alternatives.

"But having conversations with them when the lockdown was re-announced after we planned to reopen was difficult.

"We brought staff back in on furlough, we repurchased stock because we were quite confident at the time, going hell for leather that we had everything ready to open our doors on January 4 but then of course we had the third lockdown."

The couple have submitted a second Culture Recovery Business Sustainability application to support them as they will now be unable to reopen until much later this year – more than 12 months since they were first forced to shut their doors due to the Covid-19 crisis.

Paul hopes after the second round of investment, The Northern Light Cinema will finally have a post-lockdown sustainable business model.

“Financial support from the BFI and the Government is a real necessity and it's a sign of appreciation and support that you are not in it alone.

"I have got to know so many more cinema owners over this period while we have been closed, than I ever did while we were open and that is only ever going to be a benefit to us and hopefully the whole cinema community.

"[Without investment] the changes would have been possible but it would have had to come from our personal directors loans and we would have had to reinvest in the business.

"At the time, we wouldn't have been able to do it because our other business was in a precarious situation."

The couple both thanked their loyal customers for their feedback on social media polls about their proposed changes.

"The great thing about living in a small rural town is that the community is really strong and we've got such a dedicated audience who are keen and desperate for us to reopen as soon as we can”, the 53-year-old commented.

"I'm very confident that when we can reopen, not only will we be in a good position, I think we might actually be in a stronger position just because of that desperation that people will have and the fact people will treasure those small, independent little venues that have struggled to stay open.”

Paul and Esther also collaborated with fellow Wirksworth interior business Blackpop, who donated £1,000 worth of velvet fabric and wallpaper coverings to refresh the cinema’s unique look, ready for its reopening.

'We won't survive if we lose our appeal' say owners of family-run Ashover race track as petition to save site hits 10,000

Work underway on new McDonald’s in Chesterfield

This is the best value supermarket shopping basket in Derbyshire this week

In these confusing and worrying times, local journalism is more vital than ever. Thanks to everyone who helps us ask the questions that matter by taking out a subscription or buying a paper. We stand together. Nancy Fielder, editor.