Seat sponsors are sought
THE Picture House hopes memories of Campbeltonians will inspire people.
CINEMA fundraisers are calling for lights, camera, action as a fresh bid for Campbeltown seat sponsors is launched.
The Picture House Centenary Project Seat Sponsorship Scheme is hoping to re-ignite interest in the project by appealing to those with special memories of the original cinema and Campbeltown.
The sponsorship scheme, launched in 2012, had its first sponsor in Argyll and Bute MSP Michael Russell who at the time noted: ‘This is a great opportunity for all those who love cinema in Scotland to be a part of history.’
Honour
Organisers are encouraging people to sponsor a seat or donate to the project in honour of someone special.
A number of stories have come to light.
Gloria Siggins made a donation in memory of the success of a film sponsored by her father, A E Bundy.
First shown in 1927, The Battle of Coronel and Falkland Islands
was restored by the British Film Institute to commemorate the centenary of the Great War.
Maureen Carrol donated in memory of her father, who was the resident engineer in the building of the hydro electric scheme at Lussa Dam in the 1950s.
Maureen, who has not been in Campbeltown for more than 50 years, remembers visiting the picture house in the forties when she was a young girl.
Not as used to the special effects of film at the time, she recalls being terrified by the sight of a volcano erupting during a movie.
One seat remembers Ted Riley, a sub-lieutenant on HMS Nimrod and HMS St Modwen during the Second World War, who served in Campbeltown.
As a lover of film, he may have visited the cinema in its heyday while stationed here.
Chairman of Campbeltown Community Business Ltd Jane Mayo said: ‘There have been many illustrious Campbeltownians who have settled in other parts of the world, particularly in the New World. Among them are John and Mary McKellar.
Joiner
‘John, whose mother ran the well-known Mrs McKellar’s dairy in Main Street, was a joiner in the town.
‘They left in 1914 to settle in Vancouver and the most famous of their family was astronomer son Dr Andrew McKellar.
‘He was the first to show that outer space was not a vacuum, dis- covered the scientific basis for the Big Bang and was expected to win the Nobel prize for his work but sadly died of cancer.’
Businesses are also being called upon to show their support.
Companies which have already taken up the offer to sponsor a seat include Stewart, Balfour and Sutherland; Craigard House Hotel; Whisky Macs; Pearl and Dean; and InspirAlba.
Sponsorship of a seat costs £250 and there are a limited number still available.
Money raised will go towards putting the finishing touches to the cinema.
Further details can be found on the website www.campbeltownpicturehouse.co.uk.