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Barnard Castle Vision Wins Three Top Market Town Awards in the North East

27/06/2010

Barnard Castle Vision has been named winner of three prestigious Market Town Awards. 

The Awards were presented to the Vision as part of Action For Market Towns’ North East Market Town Awards 2010. The Vision received Top Awards in both the Partnership and Strategic Working and Social and Community categories as well as the overall regional prize for Best Project. 

Top Award in the Partnership and Strategic Working category went to the Vision’s Historic Riverside Revival project. This volunteer programme, which has been taking place in the town over the last six months, has been designed to restore key pathways in Barnard Castle, open up views of the River Tees, improve access for the less physically able and restore an important sculpture garden to benefit both residents and visitors. It has also helped secure £87,000 of Heritage Lottery Funding for a wider scheme. 

The Vision’s work on the Witham Cinema not only won the Social and Community category but also scooped the overall regional prize for best project. The Witham Cinema is a single-screen cinema run by the community for the community. In the past, the town had two cinemas, but both closed and the nearest cinema was a 30 minute journey away. This led a band of volunteers to pull together a proposal to set up a community cinema in the town’s Witham Hall.  

Barnard Castle Vision team member Annalisa Ward developed the scheme with the support of the Witham trustees and a number of local individuals.  There are now 16 volunteers who assist with marketing, selling tickets, serving refreshments and operating the projection equipment. Amberley Elliott, Creative Apprentice with the Vision, also works with Annalisa to set up the showings. 

The cinema was launched in November 2009 and to date has screened 41 films, from classics for all ages to the latest releases and world cinema. So successful has it been there are now plans for a purpose-built cinema within a re-developed Witham Hall. The judges commented that this was an innovative response to market failure which could work in many small towns. 

The three awards were presented at a ceremony in Morpeth, Northumberland by Action for Market Towns Board Member Sue Bevan. Having won the overall Top Award for the region, the next step is the Finals.  

The Vision and the Witham Cinema now go head-to-head with other regional winners to compete for the National Market Town Award, which will be held at the Action for Market Towns Convention in Chippenham, Wiltshire on October 12. 

Annalisa Ward from Barnard Castle Vision commented: 

“As well as being an important step towards the newly developed Witham, the Cinema is also part of a much wider initiative to bring economic regeneration to the whole of Barnard Castle and is proving a success with people of all ages. We have already received over 1,300 people through its doors, representing 20% capacity, comparative with cinema attendance nationally, and as an additional attraction for visitors to date we have welcomed visitors from Merseyside, Scarborough and London.   

“Building a strong volunteer base and involving the community from the early stages of the project has been vital to the project’s success. We’d like to thank all those who have helped to make the project come to fruition and look forward to expanding this facility further in the future.” 

Durham County Council’s Cabinet Regeneration Portfolio Holder Councillor Neil Foster said: 

“These three Market Town awards are an excellent demonstration of Barnard Castle Vision’s outstanding commitment to economic regeneration in the local area. It is great to see both the Witham Cinema and Riverside Revival projects making a real difference to people’s lives. Innovative community-led projects such as these are excellent examples of how working together can create a better quality of life for all. Many congratulations to all involved.”