A businessman has admitted opening a new cinema will cost a lot of money – but he could not imagine doing anything else.
Pat Scott runs four independent cinemas in Somerset, after learning how to be a projectionist in the military.
His next venue in Wincanton will open in February, after someone in the town asked him to take over an Art Deco building which was once used as a church.
Scott said the venture was “very expensive, but it’s what I love doing. I believe in the small cinema”.
“I don’t like to see these lovely old buildings being ripped down and made into flats,” he added.
Scott runs cinemas in Minehead, Frome and Burnham, and said since beginning the venture, he had “never been in the red”.
He believes having a local, independent cinema helps people appreciate the venues more, but warned streaming services such as Netflix made it more difficult to operate them.
“I believe there’s still a place for the cinema,” he said.
The new venue will open on 13 February, initially with two screens, with a third coming into operation a few months later.
In a message to residents in Wincanton, Scott said: “I hope they support me and I’ll try my best to please them as best I can.”
