by Jenny Watson
Photos Courtesy of the Community Cinema
When two local camera enthusiasts decided to put on a community film show they couldn’t have guessed it would become a local institution.
I caught up with Lawrie Pennycook from Dumbarton to find out how he and Tommy Crocket turned their idea into reality.
“We found out about a similar club in Strathendrick. They used the local school, after hours. We asked them all the questions. How did you get on?
“Where do you get your film from? How do you price? So, we got a good bit of advice from them.”
From there, they spoke with several similar organisations and started looking for suitable locations.
They chose a room in the Concord as it was a good size, without many windows to cover and had a couple of entry/exit doors for access and safety.
The first challenge they faced, was finding how much it would all cost and then working out how to raise the funds.
Lawrie explained: “We sat down and worked through all the costs and were really shocked once we added it all up.
“One of the groups we met paid £18,000 for their screen! However, we knew we wouldn’t need a screen that size as we expected an audience around 80.”
Around the same time, they discovered Alternatives Community Recovery service was looking into opening a cafe in the Concord and thought it would be a great idea to work together, as cinema-goers enjoy a snack and cuppa.
With support from a WDC funding officer they successfully applied for a grant.
Celebrating A Milestone Anniversary
Then the fun began – buying all the equipment, testing it and finally, on March 13 and 14 2014, the Concord Community Cinema opened its doors for the first time.
Ten years later they commemorated their milestone anniversary with a screening of ‘Sunshine on Leith’ celebrating a decade of the Community Cinema and honouring that it was still running.
“Covid hit us hard,” Lawrie explained.
“We nearly lost the whole club due to numbers dwindling even after we started the showings again.
“The Feature films audience numbers are starting to pick up now and our Classics films are doing really well.
“We let the audience pick what they want to watch over the year, so we know we are showing something they want to see.
“We also do screenings for nurseries, schools and youth groups at Christmas time.”
The Community Cinema also lost co-founder Tommy Crocket who passed away in 2022.
Despite these challenges the 10th anniversary film show was a great success with over 60 people in attendance and some tasty treats on offer afterwards.
“We had a full house, maybe too full, but it was great to see everyone come along to celebrate with us,” said Lawrie smiling.
Feature films screen the first Friday, Classics the third Friday of the month, both from 7.30pm, and Musicals on the last Wednesday of the month from 1.30pm.
A timetable of films is available next to the café hatch in the Concord.
To find out more about the cinema contact
co********************@ho*****.com
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