The Future of Woolton Picture House is secured!
Fundraiser smashes total, but mystery donor buys 99 year old cinema for the community.
A nine-month campaign by locals to raise £450,000 to purchase the historic Woolton Picture House has reached the end credits. Hundreds of individual donors contributed to surge past that total in the final days, with £532,884 being raised by the 8 May deadline.
In a twist worthy of Hollywood itself, a mystery backer stepped in to purchase the building and has agreed a 101-year lease with the fundraisers, Woolton Cinema Community Interest Company, at a peppercorn rent of £19.27 per year. The rent is a nod to the original opening date of the cinema, Boxing Day 1927, and the lease means that it will still be a cinema on its 200th anniversary in 2127.
The incredibly generous last-minute move means that all of the money raised can now go into the refurbishment of the building with plans being drawn up for a new roof with solar panels, full disabled access, new toilets and an adapted front section of the auditorium which will allow for much wider community use. A second phase of fundraising for these ambitious plans will begin in autumn, along with community consultation events to decide on how the building can be refurbished while keeping its classic 1920s look and feel.
Gillian Miller, one of the driving forces behind the campaign, has been blown away by the support that the campaign has received: "When we started this campaign, we knew that the Picture House was important to people. We offered them the chance to get involved and they have leapt at it, with an incredible army of volunteers giving their time and expertise at every level. We received a very generous £100,000 donation early in the campaign from Harry Crampton and we’ve had £25,000 from The Ken Dodd Charitable Foundation. There have been a handful of other donations at £10,000 and £5,000 but the majority of the funds have come in from everyday people giving tens, twenties and fifties. We couldn’t have done without the big donors, but this Picture House now belongs to everybody who put change in a popcorn bucket, bought a ticket or a bag. It takes a village to raise a Picture House. This village has shown that."
Kevin Fearon, the co-founder of Woolton Cinema CIC, led negotiations with the mystery donor who has bought the building: “As well as the public part of the campaign, we approached a number of people who have been very successful in business and have a love for cinema and this part of Liverpool. We were hoping for a cheque to help us on our way, but this incredibly generous individual has given us a Hollywood ending and we are all so grateful to them. This means that the future of the building is secure with the 101-year lease taking us up to the Picture House’s 200th anniversary. Everyone who has donated can celebrate with us, knowing that their great-grandchildren will have a cinema to visit in Woolton.”
The vision for the Picture House is evolving into a true community hub. The first phase of works will take place this summer, mainly to secure the building and make it safe to reopen. There are films planned for October and through Christmas this year, then the bulk of the refurbishment is provisionally planned for 2027.
To find out more about plans for the building and future community consultations and events, please sign up for the email newsletter list here.
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
