Who we are
Aberfeldy is a small market town on the River Tay, in Perthshire. The valley surrounding Aberfeldy consists of open farmland with the spectacular Grampian mountains as a backdrop. Farming and tourism are the main industries in the area.
The Birks Cinema was opened on Monday, 3 July 1939, on the corner of Dunkeld Street and Chapel Street in Aberfeldy and newspaper reports praised its up to the minute 'Snowcrete' exterior and tasteful interior in cream, primrose yellow and green. The opening film was '60 Glorious Years' starring Anna Neagle, followed by 'Carefree' with Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers and 'Little Miss Broadway' with Shirley Temple.
The word ' birks' means birches, and the cinema is named after The Birks of Aberfeldy, a scenic walk that begins in the town and that was made famous by the poet Robert Burns: 'Bonnie lassie, will ye go, Will ye go, will ye go, Bonnie lassie, will ye go To the birks of Aberfeldy!'l
The 470-seat cinema was the location for many first dates and family outings until the early 1980s when it was closed. The building was then used as an amusement hall which subsequently closed in 2004. Since then, the building has been for sale.
The Friends of the Birks Cinema was established in early 2006 by Charlotte Flower and two other members of the Heartland Film Society in Aberfeldy, to explore the possibility of restoring the Birks Cinema into a community-run 92 seat digital cinema, with performance space and a café/bar.
Earlier this year, the Friends of the Birks became a company limited by guarantee and a registered charity. Charlotte Flower, Ron Young and Julia Watson are the current trustees.
The 'Friends' has support from the local community, as well as people from further afield. It is also delighted to have the actor Alan Cumming as its patron.
What we do
The Friends of the Birks want to ensure that the restoration of the cinema provides benefit and resource to the local community, and for visitors by creating a boutique cinema with 'just a little bit extra':
- State-of-the-art 92-seat cinema with a section of movable seating that can be adapted for live performance (such as drama, concerts, exhibitions, talks)
- Digital system to allow single-operator control of movies and other facilities long with a wide ranging programme tailored to different interests and age groups
- Capacity for live broadcast links (for sports, music and other events from around the world)
- Café/bar, open to all, with daytime and evening opening hours
It is anticipated that the restored building will
- provide direct economic benefits through employment in the cinema and café/bar;
- increase footfall in the town of Aberfeldy; and
- ensure the building is a valuable community resource
The Friends of the Birks received just over £320,000 from the Scottish Government Town Centre Regeneration Fund (TCRF), in 2009. This money was used to buy the cinema and pay for the work of a design team under architect Robin Baker to take the plans to tender stage. Substantial further funds will need to be found to enable the restoration to take place, but the TCRF support has been vital in jump-starting the project.
Since the beginning, community engagement has been key to the development of the project. The Friends continue to engage with the local community to get their support and input to ideas for shaping the project and are at the beginning of a local campaign to raise funds in various ways, using ideas generated locally.
The group has held a number of public meetings to inform residents, invite comments and feedback, and to engage interest. In particular, these meetings were held to discuss support for developing the project and to review the architect's initial designs. Meetings are advertised in the local press, as well as with posters around the local area and a contacts database that has been developed over the years.
All committee meetings are open to the public and have been held at various times, to help enable different people to get involved and attend. In addition, the Friends has had stalls at a range of public events, including the Aberfeldy Shows in 2007 and 2008, the Aberfeldy Christmas Markets and the Logierait Community Market.
In addition, the Friends has ensured that local community councils, groups and businesses are involved in the project to redevelop the Cinema. It has been essential to work with as many local groups as possible, in particular local arts and music organisations, to ensure that there is no duplication of the services they provide, and to get their input into the design of the new building, to ensure it is fit for purpose.
What next?
The Friends is keen to build on its community engagement and since February this year, has secured a secondee from a successful local business for one day a week to take forward this work.
The campaign to raise £300,000 in the local area was launched earlier this month, and major grant applications have been submitted or are in planning. If funds can be raised in time, it is hoped to begin the rebuilding work this summer.
As well as continuing to work closely with local businesses, organisations and groups, the Friends of the Birks is keen to develop engagement and links with young people and aim to have at least one young adult involved in the management committee.
The Friends of the Birks will also be updating and modifying its website, as it will become a critical communication tool over the coming years.
Contact details
If you would like to find out more about the Friends of the Birks Cinema, please contact:
Charlotte Flower, Secretary
By telephone: 01887 830 307
By e-mail: flowercharlotte@btconnect.com
Or write to Charlotte at:
Birks Cinema Group
Acharn Schoolhouse
Acharn
Aberfeldy
PH15 2HS