Ely Cinema is going digital - seven months ahead of schedule

Back in January, the cinema announced that it needed to raise £42,000 to switch to digital, and expected it would take a year to gather the necessary funds.

But the Going Digital campaign - which already had nearly £11,000 in the funding pot - has just received a £15,400 grant from the Fens Adventurers fund, and businessman Pete Dawe has agreed to loan the cinema the remaining cash.

The cinema will switch to digital in july, and will be closed for a few weeks while their old 35mm projector and sound kit is upgraded.

Caroline Cawley, marketing manager at ADeC who run the cinema, said: “It’s great news for us, and will help secure the cinema’s long term future.

“Peter’s offer and the Fens Adventurers award means we are going digital well ahead of schedule. With the new high definition projector and sound kit our customers should certainly notice a difference.

“It will also allow us to screen more live and alternative content as well as archive and local films. We are very grateful to the Fens Adventurers fund and to Peter for their investment in our project.”

Peter Dawe, who has founded over 70 businesses and organisations in and around Cambridgeshire, said: “Contrary to popular myth, entrepreneurship is about minimising risk, not taking risk!

“My lending the balance of the cost of the digital projector, means ADeC will be able to raise income through being able to offer films sooner after release and to have better access to advertising revenues. Thus being able to repay the loan.’