Cross Hands Public Hall and Cinema in Carmarthenshire, a volunteer-run venue first opened more than 100 years ago, is urgently raising funds to replace its projector and continue serving the community.
The building, originally constructed in the early 1900s, has entertained audiences for generations. However, the cost of living crisis and rising energy bills have made it difficult for volunteers to keep the venue running in recent years.
A hall with deep roots
While the original hall was built about 20 years earlier, the current building opened in the 1930s thanks to the Miner’s Welfare Institute. Its upkeep was funded by local miners contributing 1p a week from their pay packets.
After the decline of the coal industry in Wales, the hall closed in 1984 and remained empty for several years. Following grant funding and restoration work, it reopened in April 1996 with a live concert by the Cross Hands District Ladies Choir and local schoolchildren.
New technology needed
Today the hall operates primarily as an independent cinema. After surviving the Covid-19 pandemic, it now faces the challenge of replacing its projector, with a modern screen expected to cost around £100,000.
Dr Kirsty Bilski, trustee and secretary of Cross Hands Hall, Cinema, and Community Centre, said: "We have struggled to turn things around in this current financial climate but we are doing well with the last couple of years witnessing growth, development of community projects, and a flourishing community of volunteers who provide friendship for each other as much as for the community."
She added: "We are not only 'surviving' now but we are starting to 'thrive'."
How to support
A fundraising page has been set up accepting donations of various amounts. For £20, donors can have their name on the cinema's website; for £150, a name on a plaque at the venue; and for £5,000, unlimited movie passes for two people for life.
Dr Bilski said: "Despite our recent hard won successes we are desperately in need of a new projector. Our old projector is becoming harder to maintain and spare parts are difficult to obtain. We need updated digital technology which will be more energy efficient and meet the standards and requirements of the contemporary film industry and our audiences."
She continued: "Our current projector is well maintained and carefully 'nurtured' however we are aware it is at the end of its expected lifetime. It is now critical for us to raise these funds to buy a new one so our future community can enjoy the magic of the cinema as much as we do."
Dr Bilski concluded: "This building has been at the heart of the community for over 100 years. We have lots of ideas around how this new technology might enhance what we are able to offer and are excited for what the future may bring."
