CADS South Yorkshire has set a £35,000 Crowdfunder target to complete essential work on the beloved Abbeydale Picture House.
CADS (Creative Arts Development Space) has managed Abbeydale Picture House since 2017, with the aim of relaunching the venue as a thriving arts and entertainment hub. Now they need additional support to gain a premises licence and continue the restoration.
Since moving into the building, CADS has been running various events including film screenings, theatrical performances, live music, vintage and food markets, weddings and even small festivals. They have made significant progress welcoming over 70,000 visitors in just two years. The next stage of this process is obtaining a premises licence which will enable the old cinema to reach its full potential by hosting events on any day of the year.
CADS funding officer Dan Butlin said: “Our approach so far has been to get the building open, get events running, and use the income generated by that to fund the necessary renovation works.
“Currently, events that feature licensed entertainment, such as film screenings, live music and so on, are held using Temporary Entertainment Notices. These are one day temporary licenses which are restricted to 15 per address per year. Clearly, this creates a huge impact on the number of events that can be hosted in the building, and in turn impacts the possible revenue we can generate. Gaining a permanent premises licence would mean CADS can start to work towards their goal of developing an exciting culturally diverse events programme all year round, and the more challenging goal of fully restoring the building.”
The Crowdfunder went live on May 7 with a target of £35,000. These funds will go towards a new fire alarm, improved CCTV system, design and structural work for improved fire escapes, and several smaller remedial works around the building such as better handrails on the stairs. Once these improvements have been made, a permanent events licence should be possible.
As part of the fundraising efforts, Abbeydale Picture House will also be screening a series of classic films on 29 – 31 May, the proceeds from which will be used to directly support the Crowdfunder. These include Labyrinth, Wizard of Oz (celebrating its 80 years anniversary), and a special double bill screening of Warp Film’s Dead Man’s Shoes and Four Lions. To buy film, head here.
To donate to the project visit theabbeydalepicturehouse.com.
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