A campaign to support the historic Abbeygate Cinema in Bury St Edmunds is completed with more than £30,000 raised.
The Building Blocks 2020 fundraising initiative was launched last year to help pay for the new premier screen which opened last month.
MORE: Abbeygate opens premier screen on Friday with Eva Green’s Euro-space drama
The donor wall design was specially curated by local wood carver and designer John Williams who spent some years working for visual science both at the Bristol Exploratory as well as London’s Science Museum.
Chris Peters, project manager at Abbeygate Cinema, said “We’re delighted with the response to our Building Blocks fundraising campaign. Our audience and supporters have been so generous – and it’s great to see a complete wall which reflects the hundreds of people who have engaged with us.
“Just over £33,000 has been raised with the campaign and we thank each and every individual who has made a donation.”
Mr Williams added: “For this project, I wanted the name of the cinema to be literally reflected in the design content and although the location within the corridor leading to the new cinema screen could not facilitate my more way-out idea - a slant Anamorph design - it has provided an excellent location for this design.
“And all exactly 1,000 years since Bury’s abbey itself was founded, and of course 100 years of there being a cinema building here on Hatter Street.”
This positive announcement, which reflects that things are moving forward and it’s almost business as usual for the popular independent cinema in Hatter Street, comes on the back of a series of promotions the cinema is running to keep customers coming back and help get things back on track at this challenging time.
Mr Peters added: “When lockdown forced us to close in March, we had a huge decision to make – to either ‘mothball’ the development of the building, or press on with creating the new premier screen.
“We chose the latter as we firmly believed that in this centenary year for the cinema on Hatter Street, we owed it to the legacy of the building, and to our fantastically loyal and committed audience, to use the down time with optimism to finish off the new screen and take the Abbeygate offer to the next level.”
MORE: Here are the measures Abbeygate Cinema is taking to be Covid-secureHe said they still need the continued commitment from their customers to ensure their survival.
“We want 2020 to be a celebratory centenary year for the Abbeygate,” Mr Peters said.
Diners at Abbeygate Cinema get 25% off (35% for members) food and drink, including alcohol, on September Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
And, with a minimum spend of £10 per person after 5pm on September Fridays and Saturdays, diners (aged 18+) can enjoy a free glass of wine.
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