Skye residents will enjoy a night at the movies thanks to the creation of a drive-in cinema at one of the island’s iconic hotels.
Sligachan Hotel and its adjoining Seamus’ Bar owners Gary and Deirdre Curley are opening their large car park to host a drive-in cinema for locals, with all proceeds going towards the Skye Community Response Group and the NHS.
Mr and Mrs Curley put out feelers on social media and were overwhelmed with the response.
The events, scheduled for July 10 to 12, will allow locals the opportunity to view classic blockbusters Back to the Future, Grease and Braveheart.
Drinks and warm food are to be served to vehicles, with toilet breaks operating on a one in one out basis inside the facility.
Tickets are priced at £35 per vehicle.
Doors will open at 8pm with live music to be performed to keep guests entertained prior to the big screen showing, before audio will be boomed to vehicles via an FM transmission.
Mr and Mrs Curley have said they hope the event will provide an opportunity for locals to enjoy time out of their homes and come together, whilst respecting social distancing and government guidelines.
Mr Curley said: “The idea of doing this for Skye Community Response and the NHS was really just to kind of say thanks for all the work they have done throughout the crisis and that they will continue to do as it evolves.”
The car park at the foot of the Cuillin mountain range will allow for 50 cars each night with the potential success of the event allowing for more screenings in the future.
Mr Curley added: “It’s a great way for families and friends to come together again safely and enjoy something for the first time in months and be entertained as the sun goes down before the big movie starts.
“We are very conscious of the fact we are coming out of lockdown and people are, quite rightfully, concerned what that is going to look like, and we were pleasantly surprised and delighted with the response.
“Our motivation is to say thank you to Skye Community Response and the NHS and we wanted to put something on for our community on Skye.
“We wanted to do something before tourists begin to be welcomed back to Skye, before Skye starts cautiously welcoming visitors back, and we thought this is a great thing to do for the community during the summer, which we don’t often get to do because we are so busy with visitors.
“Hopefully if it works potentially we can do more of these in the future, perhaps just before the tourist season or at the end of the season and keep that community focus.”
