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Oxford
Ultimate Picture Palace Launches Community Shares Scheme Arts Alliance Media is based in west London
The UPP is a local community gem
THE Ultimate Picture Palace (UPP) is a colourful
called the UPP Community Cinema was formed. Launched
independent cinema in Oxford that was built in 1911 by local
on 29th April and running to 1st July, the local community
actor and businessman, Frank Stuart. It was one of the UK’s
has the opportunity to invest by purchasing community
first purpose-built cinemas and its remarkable journey is
shares so the cinema can become community-owned.
shown in the great documentary, “The Ultimate Survivor”
£313,000 (£312,575 to be exact) in shares needs to be raised
(https://vimeo.com/20882173). Now, the historic cinema is
so that the cinema can be purchased, its progressive film
up for sale, and the owners want to give the community the
programming maintained, the current staff retained, and
chance to own it before selling it on the open market to give
its vital role in the community continued. The scheme has
it the very best chance to stay open as an independent
been designed to allow as many members of the
cinema that will thrive for many years to come.
community to buy shares as possible, with each share
The cinema as it is today was bought and restored by
being set at £1 with a minimum of 50 shares. (If you’re 16-29
local resident Becky Hallsmith in 2011, making much-
years of age and live in an OX1, OX3 or OX4 postcode, the
needed improvements to the building and projector room.
minimum is set at 30 shares.)
But Hallsmith understood that the UPP had a reputation
The cinema has been supported by the Co-operative
for being unique and worked hard to retain the cinema’s
Futures, which is part of a workers’ co-op - The People Co-
ethos of adventurous film programming and community
op - a network of ethical, sustainable businesses in the UK
values. Hallsmith sadly passed away in September 2018 and
with a focus on B2B service companies.
since then the staff and volunteers have continued to run
The Co-operative Futures team helped the UPP with
the cinema in her spirit and navigate the business through
various legal options and to ultimately form the CBS. By
the pandemic.
buying community shares, investors will become members
And like many small, single screen independent cinemas the UPP is a real community gem, but it’s always
of the CBS, and can then take part in the democratic control of the business, on a one-member-one-vote basis.
in need of more funding. But it was always Hallsmith’s dream to one day turn the UPP into a community-owned
For further information on the share scheme visit:
cinema and so a new Community Benefit Society (CBS)
https://uppcinema.com/OWNTHEUPP/
www.cinematech.today
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