In relation to the identified priorities in the Guidance & Essential criteria what will your idea achieve and who will benefit from your project?
The Broadway is a case study in Place-Based Investment. The results of Prestwick’s place plan engagement report showed that ‘facilities and amenities’ and ‘identity and belonging’ were the two highest priorities. The Broadway project is aligned to both. The Visitor Experience is a direct answer to the need identified around local tourism opportunities ignored, celebration of local history and heritage, drop in space to accommodate small groups, and, most importantly, empty premises.
Please describe what you plan to do and what the money will be used for? (i.e., purchase equipment/resources)
Friends of the Broadway Prestwick want to operate the Broadway for and on behalf of the community for everyone. We want it to be a cinematic living room for the town. A socially inclusive community facility offering accessible, sustainable, and cultural opportunities for all of Prestwick’s citizens, and the Broadway has been on a remarkable journey in the last 12 months.
The iconic front doors have re-opened to a wonderfully immersive and unique indoor visitor attraction, the Broadway Cinema Experience. The original 1,000 capacity auditorium has been revealed once more, with the highlight of the experience being the all-new Broadway Pop-up Museum, curated by heritage experts and volunteers to transport visitors back to the golden age of cinema and the Broadway’s place within it. The foyer now serves as a welcoming information hub and gift shop. The newly constructed ‘projection island’ in the auditorium provides opportunities for workshops, passing the lost art of projecting analogue film on to future generations. And the potential for special events including the return of film has now been unlocked.
Despite this initial success, we are extremely restricted on the potential for the visitor experience due to capacity limitations. With the building in its current state, we are restricted to a maximum of 30 people in the building. To increase this capacity, ensure the Broadway achieves its potential, and brings transformative change to our community in Prestwick, we need to undertake critical health and safety improvements including upgrades to our fire alarm system, fire exit doors, and some strategic roof repairs. All of these works are essential to increasing our capacity of visitors, and our capacity to deliver meaningful change for community, and our project's long-term development. We are shovel ready to deliver an expanded and transformative new visitor attraction for Ayrshire.
Location: The Broadway Cinema is within a 20 minute walk of the entire population of Prestwick and the Visitor Experience will be delivered at the heart of the community on Main Street. The funding being sought will enable this prominent community owned asset to be brought into use at the soonest opportunity, creating a sense of identity and purpose, and bringing transformative social and economic benefits to Prestwick and our surrounding communities in South Ayrshire. We are ‘shovel ready’ and additional funding will provide a near-term step change in the array of experiences, services, and events we can offer to the community.
Proposed on behalf of: Friends of the Broadway Prestwick
Most voted