For immediate use: 12 February 2025
Regional Screen Scotland is awarded £350,000 from SSEN Transmission
Significant boost for the campaign to raise £1.7m to ‘Save Our Screen Machine’
Regional Screen Scotland (RSS) is delighted to announce that it has been named as one of ten organisations across the north of Scotland to benefit from SSEN Transmission’s Regional Community Benefit Fund. RSS has been awarded £350,000. RSS will put this entire award towards its fundraising campaign to raise £1.7m that is needed to build a new Screen Machine mobile cinema that will serve communities into the 2040s. This almost doubles the total amount that has been pledged so far.
Simon Drysdale, Interim Chief Executive Officer, said:
“We are delighted to have been chosen for funding in the first round of awards made through the new SSEN Transmissions Regional Community Fund. Our award of £350,000 moves us closer to realising our ambition of building a new state-of-the-art Screen Machine mobile cinema for the Scottish Highlands & Islands and continuing to bring the magic of film to 44 communities.
“News of this generous funding from SSEN Transmission follows the announcement that we have been awarded core funding for our service through Creative Scotland’s Multi Year Funding. Together these announcements give us stability to continue to deliver the service and continue to fundraise for a total of £1.7m.
“The sum of this award and other pledges, plus the donations that we have raised from our public fundraising campaign which is close to £50,000, brings our total to half of our target. Our campaign is building momentum and we hope this gives other potential funders the confidence that our goal is realistic, achievable and in sight. To all those who have donated so far, we thank you for coming on board and being part of our ambition to secure the magical Screen Machine service.”
This is SSEN Transmission’s first ever community benefit funding awards. In a very competitive process, Regional Screen Scotland’s application was one of 328 applications. The total amount awarded is the first £2m tranche from an initial £10m fund which could eventually see over £100m of support for communities throughout the region.
Peter Peacock, the Independent Chair of SSEN Transmission Community Benefit Fund, and former Scottish Government Minister, said:
“Today is great news for these fantastic projects, which will help to strengthen communities across the north of Scotland. The projects we have been able to fund won through against stiff competition and are all designed to make a real difference to people, places and cultural life in the north.”
You can read SSEN’s press release in full on their website here.
RSS has appointed a professional fundraiser and project manager to help steer us through the next crucial phase in reaching the £1.7m target and commencing the build of a tailor made vehicle. Until April 2026, a leased cinema is in use, thanks to financial support from Screen Scotland.
Media details
For more information please contact:
Fiona Fowler, General Manager, Regional Screen Scotland
fiona@regionalscreenscotland.org
(0131) 550 3734
Editors’ Notes
About Regional Screen Scotland
Regional Screen Scotland is currently a regularly funded client of Creative Scotland, and will receive Multi Year Funding from 01/04/25. It was set up in 2008 as an initiative of Scottish Screen, the predecessor to Creative Scotland. It helps communities to share great screen experiences by: operating the Screen Machine mobile cinema service (using Cinémobile); providing advice and information on setting up local screen facilities; advocating for the social and economic benefits of cinema for local communities. Find out more about us at www.regionalscreenscotland.org.
About the Screen Machine service
The Screen Machine service is provided through the use of an 80-seat state-of-the-art air-conditioned mobile cinema which brings the latest films to remote and rural parts of Scotland. Now in its 27th year of operation, it is the only full-time self-contained digital mobile cinema provision service operating in the UK. In May 2024 Screen Scotland provided funding to lease the Cinémobile which will tour to 30+ communities in the Highlands & Islands of Scotland, including 19 islands. Its use is intended as a stop gap until a new Screen Machine has been built and brought into use. Find out more about us and the Save Our Screen Machine campaign at www.screenmachine.co.uk and via Instagram and Facebook.