00:00Walton Picturehouse, the city's oldest independent cinema, could soon reopen its doors, five years after it closed during the pandemic.
00:09Long-time Walton residents Kevin Fearon and Gillian Miller have agreed to a deal to buy and refurbish the cinema on Mason Street.
00:17We've exchanged contracts. We have a year to pay the full price and we're trying to raise the money for that.
00:23But yeah, I'm not quite ready for it, but it is so exciting.
00:31Fearon and Miller are best known as the driving force behind Liverpool's Royal Court, where they grew the business from a 150-seat comedy club into the region's largest full-time producing theatre.
00:44During that time, they raised £7.7 million, which was spent refurbishing the building.
00:49Gillian Miller and I, with a number of other people, got the Royal Court back in 2005 and it was a closing down music venue.
00:58And we took in a comedy club and then we turned it into a theatre again.
01:03And it's now a successful producing theatre.
01:06So we've been 20 years there. So we've been down this path before.
01:10So we're aware of what needs to be done.
01:12And we're aware of how big a job it is. So we do need other people to do it with us.
01:17We're not going to do it on our own. And we didn't do the Royal Court on our own.
01:20The historic venue on Mason Street shut in 2020, sparking fears it was gone for good.
01:25But a fundraiser launch shortly after raised over £20,000, showing strong community support.
01:32Although the cinema remained closed, a rare update last August hinted at revival plans.
01:38A deal's been agreed and contracts exchanged with the current owner of the cinema for £450,000 to purchase the building.
01:47A community interest company has been set up to raise funds for the purchase and a further £250,000 for the refurbishment.
01:57The deal's scheduled to be completed in May 2026.
02:01The first stage is to raise the money to get the building open again so the community owners and it's open and we can show films.
02:10And as soon as we get the money, we'll do the work. There's not a lot of work to do, we think.
02:15And we'll be open. But then we'll close again maybe in the future to do a proper refurb so it's fit for the future.
02:20A fundraising campaign's planned to begin in July. All funds raised will be held in a separate bank account and will not be spent until Walton Cinema CIC has achieved their target.
02:30If they fail to raise the full funds, all donations will be returned to donors.
02:34There'll be a public consultation on process set up to see what local residents want from the cinema and to seek out volunteers who can help with the project.
02:43It is faded in places. It could do with new upholstery. It could do with the carpets. It could do with the hole fixed in the wall.
02:51Now, with new owners set to take over, it brings real hope that the curtain could rise once again on this beloved local gem.
