Creative Scotland is backing the bid to revive Aberdeen's iconic Belmont Cinema with a significant investment, as well as increasing its funding of Aberdeen Performing Arts.
The development body for the arts and creative industries in Scotland is to contribute £169,000 per year, in a multi-year deal, to efforts to reopen the Belmont, being led by charity Belmont Community Cinema Ltd.
Chair Jacob Campbell said: “This commitment from Creative Scotland can be seen as a major vote of confidence in our efforts to put film, education, community and customer experience at the heart of The Belmont Cinema’s future - we’re incredibly grateful to them for their support.
“This funding will not only help us secure the cinema’s future, but it will also strengthen our ability to create a vibrant cultural hub that serves individuals and communities across the North-east of Scotland.”
Meanwhile, Aberdeen Performing Arts, which runs His Majesty's Theatre, the Music Hall and the Lemon Tree, announced an increase in its multi-year funding from Creative Scotland.
Sharon Burgess, CEO of Aberdeen Performing Arts, which also runs festivals, outreach programmes and creative engagement projects, welcomed the news.
She said: “This additional funding from Creative Scotland is a ringing endorsement of the impact we have on the region’s cultural life.
"This support will enable us to not only tackle rising costs but also grow our services and inspire even more communities across Aberdeen and the wider area.
“The outcome allows us to continue delivering exceptional cultural services to our audiences and communities. We will work creatively and strategically to maximise this funding, ensuring the quality of our programmes and services remains at the heart of what we do.”