Black Country cinema launches crowdfunder

Wolverhampton’s Light House seeks support to Switch The Lights Back On.

The Black Country’s only independent cinema – Wolverhampton’s Light House – has launched a Crowdfunder campaign today in a bid to make the iconic venue COVID-compliant ahead of a potential reopening. The charity has been working with local business EnPro Group to investigate the custom solutions required for keeping its auditoriums and social spaces COVID-secure. The campaign, called ‘Help Us Switch The Lights Back On’ seeks to raise funds to cover the costs of the extra cleaning and specialist equipment required to meet Government guidelines.

Light House CEO Kelly Jeffs says: “The enforced closure of cinemas, social spaces and cafes in March meant all of our revenue streams came to a sudden halt. We’ve been successful in a bid to the BFI and National Lottery which has enabled me to return to work remotely and I’m in the process of applying for a share of the £1.5 billion Culture Recovery Fund announced by the Government.

“However, in order to make our beautiful venue COVID-safe ahead of reopening, we are asking for donations to help fund the bespoke cleaning solutions, sanitiser points and signage that we will need to keep our customers and staff as safe as possible. We’ve had fantastic support from people in the past, and while we appreciate that times are difficult for everyone at the moment, we’re hopeful that we’ll be able to raise the money required. We’ve called the campaign ‘Help Us Switch The Lights Back On’, and I’m looking forward to the day when we’ll be able to do just that and welcome everyone back.”

The campaign launches today, Monday 17th August, and will run for four weeks. You can donate here.