A REEL CHRISTMAS FOR WOOLTON PICTURE HOUSE

£60,000 raised during festive screenings as campaign continues to bring the cinema back for the long term.

Woolton Picture House has closed the curtain on its 12 Days of Christmas campaign with an overwhelming show of community support - raising a staggering £60,000 and welcoming thousands of visitors back through its doors for the first time in years.

The festive programme, which saw the historic cinema reopen for a limited run of fundraising screenings, welcomed 7,300 ticket-holders across the 12 days. Along the way, audiences enjoyed 1,500 buckets of popcorn, 2,000 interval ice creams - and even witnessed a Christmas Eve proposal - as the Picture House once again echoed with laughter, applause and shared memories.

The success of the campaign brings the cinema's overall fundraising total to just under £220,000, marking a major milestone in the ongoing effort to secure the future of Liverpool's oldest surviving cinema. Built in 1927, Woolton Picture House is the city's only remaining single-screen cinema and is currently the focus of a community-led campaign to raise £700,000 to purchase the building and restore it as a community-owned cultural venue.

The festive reopening featured screenings of much-loved Christmas classics including It's a Wonderful Life, Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually and White Christmas, offering supporters a chance not only to enjoy the films but to play a direct role in safeguarding the cinema's future.

Led by Woolton Cinema Community Interest Company (CIC), the project aims to return the Picture House to community ownership and reopen it as a multi-use cultural space for film, live performance, music and local events - ensuring it remains a living part of Woolton life for generations to come.

Fundraising continues into the new year - help us reach our donation goal!

About Woolton Cinema Community Interest Group

Woolton Cinema Community Interest Company (CIC) was established in 2025 by a group of local residents and cultural leaders with a shared vision to restore and reopen Woolton Picture House, Liverpool's oldest surviving cinema.

The board is led by Kevin Fearon and Gillian Miller, the team behind the transformation of Liverpool's Royal Court Theatre - a project that raised 7.7 million to refurbish one of the city's most iconic performance venues. Together, they bring decades of experience in arts management, community engagement and cultural regeneration.

The Woolton Cinema CIC operates as a not-for-profit organisation, ensuring that the venue will be owned by and for the community. Once restored, the building will serve as a multi-purpose cultural space - hosting film screenings, live performances, music, and community events.

The group's mission is simple: to protect a historic local landmark and create a welcoming, accessible space that inspires creativity and connection for generations to come.

For media enquires please contact info@wooltoncinema.com