Acton's brand new cinema and community arts hub has opened its doors
Screenings have begun at Acton's new venue
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There's been praise for and from the Acton community and beyond following the much awaited opening of the new cinema and arts hub.
The former Acton Library closed in 2014 and in May 2018 the Acton Arts Project was formed by locals to protect the historical Passmore Edwards building, open a cinema and make use of the space for the community.
After a major fundraising campaign which gained financial support from the London Mayor, enough money was secured and work began on the transformation of the building.
Dozens of volunteers have been helping and were overjoyed to see their hard work come to fruition when the cinema finally opened its doors on 8 October to show the explosive new James Bond film ''No Time To Die''.
Audiences have been hugely complimentary about the cinema space and paid tribute to all those who have given up their time to make it a reality.
Siobhan Bryar from Pitshanger said, ''Act One Cinema is a breath of fresh air. The experience of going to the cinema is not one I've had for donkeys years! Great space,great coffee, ice-cream and freshly made popcorn. The seats are amazing.As someone in constant back pain I was able to enjoy the whole movie, and had a foot of legroom in front - amazing! A very full on positive experience and the volunteers and staff were a joy."
Bears cafe bar, founded by husband and wife team Phil Harrison and Vera Thordardottir, serves unique ice-cream flavours, coffee and drinks and is proving very popular too.
Acton Arts Chair, Maire Lowe, said, '' We really couldn't have found a better partner to operate the cafe/bar to complement our cinema. Bears is a fantastic company, based on our doorstep and with great experience in delivering fun food and drinks in unusual locations. We know that Bears will be bringing something new and exciting to Acton High Street.''
Whilst the cinema is a major pull and particular as Ealing continues to await the opening of Filmworks (as well as 3 screens in the former Karma nightclub by The Really Local Group, scheduled for 2022), Acton Arts Directors are keen to highlight there are many other events also going on in the venue too. Currently there are drama classes for children and dance for children and adults.
Congratulations to all involved.
More details can be found here Acton Arts Project
Community Directors, Peter Truesdale, Amanda Mason and Nick Jones
delighted to see the venue open
Some more of the volunteers at the Acton Arts Project
If you can help, volunteers are always needed, contact the team actonartsproject@gmail.com
Annemarie Flanagan
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20 October 2021
