AN INDEPENDENT theatre and cinema in Monmouth has been handed £10,000 to help keep it afloat during the coronavirus lockdown.

The Savoy, which has been closed since mid-March with all, but one member of staff on furlough, is one of 16 across Wales to be handed a share of £100,000 from Film Hub Wales via the National Lottery.

The funding will be used to maintain the projector and other essential technical equipment.

The Savoy stands on the oldest known theatre site in Wales and the Grade 2* listed building is currently managed by the Monmouth Savoy Trust. The programme offers a mixture of feature films, live entertainment, and special events.

Chris Ryde, director of the Savoy Theatre, said: "The Savoy is absolutely delighted to get the grant. Indie cinemas are in a precarious position so it will go a long way to helping us see the crisis through.

"It will take many months for consumer confidence to be restored and we have bills to pay in the meantime so thank you BFI".

Hana Lewis, strategic manager of FHW, said: “Cinemas do so much for us; they’re there when we want to escape, they bring us together and connect us to the world.

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“We’ve been amazed by the capacity of cinema staff to care for their audiences, from delivering local supplies, to meeting their financial commitments. We wanted to take the opportunity to share their stories.

“As a result of lockdown, income from ticket sales and concessions stopped overnight, putting many independent organisations and their teams at immediate risk. There’s a long journey ahead and cinemas will need ongoing support.

“We hope that the BFI FAN resilience fund can start the journey to reopening”.

The resilience fund is made possible thanks to National Lottery funding, repurposed by the British Film Institute (BFI) via its Film Audience Network (FAN). The fund offers critical relief and business continuity to exhibitors across the whole of the UK.

Funds in Wales are administered by FHW via Chapter as the Film Hub Lead Organisation. They will be used towards irrecoverable costs, to deliver creative online activities during closure and staff time to plan towards safe reopening.