Sweetest of accolades for cinema loved by community

A NEIGHBOURHOOD cinema which started with just 19 people watching a screening of Gladiator has been named the best small business in the country.

Whitley Bay’s Jam Jar Cinema won the top prize at the 2020 Small Awards, which celebrate small firms across various sectors around the UK.

The cinema was opened in 2013 by film buffs Dan Ellis, Stephen Fairly and William Smith, who used self-confessed “hustles” and a range of cost-saving tricks to open a small cinema in a derelict building on Whitley Bay’s Park Avenue.

The cinema, which expanded into the adjoining property last year to add two new screens, is looking to reopen next Friday after being closed for several months during the coronavirus outbreak, with measures put in place to ensure social distancing.

It will also be launching a new streaming platform for film fans who prefer to stay at home.

Jam Jar Cinema beat a host of small businesses from across the UK at the awards.

As well as being named Small Business of the Year, it also won the Heart of Gold award for its contribution to the community. Mr Ellis said: “We are overjoyed. Jam Jar Cinema was started nine years ago on the back of a napkin and we are now a fully-accessible cinema with a range of films in the heart of the town.

“Things are tough for all small businesses but we are positive and determined to come back stronger.

“Small businesses are the soul of communities and the secret to helping them thrive.”

Earlier this year the cinema scooped the Heart of the Community Award at the Northumberland and Tyneside Business Awards.

Michelle Ovens, founder of the Small Awards and Small Business Britain, said: “Congratulations to Jam Jar Cinema for winning our Small Business of the Year.

“This is hugely deserved and recognises its amazing contribution to the local community and the UK’s small business sector.”