'Reel need' for Burgh cinema

Jennifer Foulds • Published 29 Jul 2010 09:30 2 Comments

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THE town that gave the world television does not even have a cinema and now strong calls are being made to rectify the situation.

A comprehensive survey undertaken by a group of post-graduate students from the University of Strathclyde carried out an in-depth market research project on behalf of charity Helensburgh Heroes, which concludes that there is an overwhelming desire for a cinema among the young and old.

The 89-page document is the culmination of 500 hours of research involving surveying hundreds of residents in a bid to find out what the community wants.

One Helensburgh resident quoted in the report said: "I think the cinema alone would be very popular, I think they should have it because you know, we're the birthplace of television and the modern entertainment age, John Logie Baird was born here and there is nothing here that really acknowledges that."

Work on the project, which was undertaken to evaluate the current state of Helensburgh Heroes and the potential for its future, started in October last year.

Now Phil Worms, who is founder member and director of the Helensburgh Heroes charity, says that the town has the tools to make it happen and is calling for local support to drive the "need" forward.

He said: "We wanted to understand better what the community wanted, particularly young people and family households, whether we had a place within the community and what projects should we be focusing on.

"We found a high level of unprompted desire for a local cinema. The research also indicates that this is the project the residents of Helensburgh, of all ages, would most like the charity to pursue.

"The charity is the vehicle and we believe we can get the project management skills to make it happen, and we believe the town has enough people who have the skills to help us, for example architects and designers.

"We are now taking the appropriate steps to implement many of the recommendations of the full report and are looking forward to exciting times ahead."

He noted that the town has a rich history as being the home of many influential people in television.

He continued: "A cinema would really capture what the Helensburgh Heroes ethos is all about. We could suitably acknowledge our movie Hall of Fame nominees Deborah Kerr, Jack Buchanan, Morven Christie, the Clyde Family, Tom Vaughan and Laura Grieve for example whilst providing a much needed facility to be enjoyed by today's community. It would be a real win, win situation for the town."

A total of 35 per cent of nearly 400 young Helensburgh residents stated their lack of access to a cinema out of six other options and 271 of them said they would like the charity to pursue the creation of a cinema.

The questions asked were open ended and no prompts were issued, claims the report.

Meanwhile 55 per cent of adults surveyed said Helensburgh "needs" a cinema.

The other 45 per cent said it needs a youth club, arts club and sports centre.

The report reads: "The fact that 38.8 per cent of respondents attend the cinema once a month is a very high frequency level for 18-65 year olds in a town without a local cinema."

A 25-year-old surveyed said "I think it would sell out" while another resident said: "I think if people had a reason to go out to the cinema they might go out to a restaurant afterwards so it would help businesses."

However "threats" to a cinema noted in the report include: "There is a real sense of community apathy concerning local initiatives to try and improve the area. This will increase the level of activation energy required by Helensburgh Heroes to energise the local population."

The report also notes that Helensburgh Heroes faces a challenge in engaging young people to convey the successes of individuals associated with the area.

He added: "The full report has provided us with much food for thought. We have received very frank and honest feedback on our own organisation which the board welcomes, and we now have a clearer understanding of what we should be doing, or focusing on, if we want the support of our community."

"The report is a great document for all groups in the town and maybe it could be of use for other projects going on."

"Now it is a case of how can we make this happen?"

This article appeared in Helensburgh Advertiser 29 Jul 10

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lassie
1 post
Aug 3, 13:41
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As a little girl growing up in Helensburgh, we had two cinemas. The Tower and La Scala. I can still remember going to the sweet shop just around the corner from the Tower cinema and stuffing our pockets full for sixpence. Okay, that was by for along time down the road... But there was nothing better, stand in lin on a Saturday waiting to get in to see the new Elvis movie with all your frinds. The cinema was our out in those days..La Scala had what was called "the boxes" You guys remember those...Anybody over ..say 20 was toooo old to be up there...Those were the days. It was sad to come home to Helensburgh and see the cinemas just standing there like toys we nolonger played with, shabby and dirty. Get the cinema back in town ...

Catherine Ainsworth

Nacogdoches Tx,

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AndyMc
7 posts
Aug 15, 07:00
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This is a nice idea but is there really a 'need' for a cinema? I am pretty certain that there are far more important priorities and concerns that need to be dealt with in Helensburgh before this.

The town is starting to look like a ghost town or a seedy run down ex-seaside resort. Let's deal with the things that no longer attract the tourists, lets get rid of the unsightly and decrepit fair and amusement arcade from the front, lets get commercial rents lowered so that businesses will return and new ones open generating both jobs and income. A cinema alone is not going to do much for jobs or income.

We need to stop trying to build a reputation based on tenuous and meaningless links to 'heros' and celebrities and start building something new and meaningful. The cinema may be a small part of this but much more needs to go along with it - a museum, an education centre, community resources, sports facilities, tourist attractions and destinations, a business centre for new starts, workshops for artists, and much more (much of which could have gone into the old Academy building).

Helensburgh is no longer the home and playground of the rich and famous, it is no longer a desirable tourist destination, and is becoming a less desirable place to live. We need to work together as a whole community, without the endemic apathy, incessant neigh-saying, and direct resistance from both the people and the council that has plagued previous projects and ideas, if we are to return Helensburgh to it previous glories - if you don't know what these are just look at the images on the Helensburgh Heritage site.

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