News

Town Council invest in cinema with static ticket prices and new state-of-the-art projector

Posted on 21 June 2022

At last week’s Picture House committee meeting Hebden Royd Town Council (HRTC) considered a review of local cinema ticketing prices in comparison to those at Hebden Bridge Picture House. The committee agreed, with the Picture House Manager’s recommendation, that ticket prices at the single screen cinema remain the same given the current cost of living crisis, high inflation and rising energy costs.

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Invitation to Tender: Provision of Replacement Digital Projector

Posted on 19 January 2022

INVITATION TO TENDER

Provision of Replacement Digital Projector
Maximum Tender Price: Estimated in the region of £60,000

Hebden Royd Town Council, owners of Hebden Bridge Picture House, require a replacement Digital Laser Projector with appropriate pedestal
and controls to replace the existing digital projector that is coming to the end of its operational life.

The system should be delivered to site and installed within one working day so as to ensure the continuity of operation at the cinema.
Installation of the new projector should take place following the 1 April 2022 to a schedule agreed with the Town Clerk and the Picture House Manager

If you would like to bid for this work, please send responses to Jason Boom, Town Clerk, by Friday, 4 February 2022 as detailed in the formal tender documents below:

Tender Invite(PDF format)
Tender specifications(PDF format)

Free Vesper Cocktail at Last Night in Soho screening!

Posted on 10 November 2021

Age 18 – 25? Book an advance £5 ticket for Edgar Wright’s Last Night in Soho (18) on Thurs 25 November and enjoy a free Vesper cocktail, made by our friends at the Nightjar. Simply show your ticket at the pop-up bar in the foyer!

BOOK YOUR TICKETS HERE

Young Audiences Generation Scheme is supported by the BFI, The National Lottery and Film Hub North.

New manager for Hebden Bridge Picture House

Posted on 10 November 2021

After 9 years of managing Hebden Bridge Picture House, Rebekah Fozard will be leaving her role as Manager on Thursday 11 November.

Cllr Richard Needham, the Town Council Chair of the Staffing Committee said: “I would like to thank Rebekah Fozard for her many years of commitment and for transforming the Picture House to being one of the leading independent cinemas in West Yorkshire with a reputation that reaches far beyond.”

Her successor, Pete Berrisford, arrives at Hebden Bridge Picture House as an experienced Cinema Manager from Cumbria. He started in the industry as a projectionist 20 years ago and joins the team from managing both a single screen cinema and a 5-screen multiplex. He will be responsible for all aspects of the operation and strategic management of the 100-year-old community venue.

As the venue’s new manager, Pete said: “It’s a dream come true to manage the Picture House. I’d like to personally thank Rebekah for handing over such an amazing venue. I look forward to meeting the cinema’s loyal supporters in the coming weeks as we lead up to our annual Christmas special It’s a Wonderful Life, one of my favourite films.”

Cllr Carol Stow, who Chairs the Picture House Committee said: “Committed to independent and challenging film Pete will bring experience and understanding to the role, honouring the ethos of the Picture House. Pete joins us at a time when the cinema industry is fighting to re-establish itself following the Covid-19 Pandemic, his appointment illustrates the ongoing commitment of the Town Council to the future of the Picture House.”

Exhibition at Hebden Bridge Town Hall

Posted on 18 October 2021

One hundred years of movie-going magic at Hebden Bridge Picture House are being celebrated in a special exhibition this autumn.

The exhibition of photographs and memories will be on display at Hebden Bridge Town Hall from October 25 to November 22. It has been compiled by the Friends of the Picture House with the support of Hebden Bridge Local History Society.

The much-loved Picture House has been at the heart of the community since 1921 and has overcome several challenges in recent years including two major floods and enforced closure due to the covid pandemic. The exhibition reflects those challenges as well as the special occasions, community involvement, movie memories and gala nights which have been a feature of the Picture House story. Here’s to the next hundred years!

Our Centenary Programme

Posted on 12 July 2021

We are delighted to have now launched the programme of events which include the premiere of the Friends of the Picture House Memories Film, The Hebden Royd Valley Story with Nick Wilding, Calderdale on Film presented by our friends The Yorkshire Film Archive, alongside a host of cinema classics such as Cinema Paradiso, Local Hero, Brassed Off, Back to the Future and so much more.

Our centenary programme can be bought in-house now for £2, detailing all 24 events from July 2021 to June 2022. All sales of the programme will help to support the cinema after over 15 months of closure.

Details of upcoming centenary events can also be found via the Picture House website and advance tickets for July and August are now available here The remaining events will be added throughout the year, as seating plan layouts may change dependent on Covid-19 restrictions.

Rebekah Fozard, Picture House Manager, said: “So much of what we do here has not changed in the century we’ve been running, and I hope that this glorious building and the institution of the cinema will be at the heart of our community for many decades to come.”

Calling all film fans aged 16 to 19!

Posted on 7 July 2021

Have your say at Hebden Bridge Picture House and help make our indie cinema the best it can be for young people.

We would love to find out what you think and listen to your opinions on the cinema and our plans to develop our offering for younger cinephiles.

The Picture House is asking for interested young people between the ages of 16 and 19 to come along to an online focus group session on Wednesday 13th October at 5pm, hosted by Into Film, having watched a film at the cinema between our re-opening at the end of June and the focus group date (which will only cost £5).

We’d like you to book this yourself via our website / in-house during screening times, so you can give honest feedback on your experience of both booking a ticket and your cinema visit.

In return for your participation, the cinema will give you three free tickets (worth £15) to watch three films of your choice at the cinema.

We’ll be asking you to join us at another focus group session within the next 6 months to gain more insight from you, and in return for your time for this second session we will be offering £20 cash per person.

Ambassadors Group

Hebden Bridge Picture House are hoping to work more closely with interested people of all ages over a longer time frame, to develop this initial young audiences’ consultation into a Picture House Ambassadors group, meeting on a quarterly basis, where programming, access and inclusivity are discussed, and cinema improvements and innovations are suggested.

Sign up now if you love film and you want to ensure your local independent cinema remains relevant for you and your friends. Please email glen.meskell@intofilm.org to sign up for the first session on Wednesday 13th October. We look forward to hearing from you!

Young Audiences Generation Scheme is supported by the BFI, The National Lottery and Film Hub North.

How are we keeping you safe?

Posted on 21 June 2021

Hebden Bridge Picture House Exterior

How is the cinema keeping everyone safe?

We’ve made lots of changes to keep everyone safe. Here are just some of the measures we will have in place when re-open:

1. We installed a new ventilation and air extraction system in the ceiling of the auditorium in 2020 to replace the original very old system. It isn’t air conditioning, but air extraction, and draws older air out of the building via ceiling vents and out through the lantern in the roof, drawing new air in at ground level. It therefore does not affect the temperature of the venue. The system will be on during all screenings at a level where it changes the air inside the cinema at above the Government recommended air change rate of 5 times per hour.

2. All seats are reserved and all tickets are sold in advance. This is to ensure appropriate staffing levels and everyone is able to be seated at a distance from other customer groups. You must sit in your reserved seats for everyone’s safety. Please only book a seating group larger than your party size if there are no seating groups the same size as your party left as taking additional adjacent seats off sale further reduces our already reduced capacity.

3. We are ensuring seating groups are 1.5 metres from the nearest seating group on re-opening and asking all customers only to book a seating group that matches their party size (where possible). All seating groups have unimpeded access to the aisle, so you can visit the toilet or kiosk during the film (to avoid queues) without passing people from outside your party at close quarters.

4. We are allowing for an enhanced cleaning regime between screenings on the same day and we have developed an extended cleaning regime for our daily morning cleans.

5. We are using ticket scanners to read the QR codes on your printed ticket or smart phone screen so you and our staff are distanced. Please hold your print out or smart phone out at arms length for us to scan the code – so we can remain a good distance away from you at check in.

6. There are nine touch free hand sanitiser points within the cinema, including on entrance and exit.

7. We have installed an extensive protective screen at the kiosk and box office counter to protect you and our staff members.

8. We ask those who use our headsets and bluetooth receivers for audio amplification or audio description to bring their own headphones or earphones (with mini jack) to plug into our receivers. This is more hygienic, since we can effectively clean the receivers between customers but not the headsets. If you forget to bring your own, we have a small number of lightweight headphones for sale at the kiosk for £6.