I finally got round to watching the new Spider-Man film at the weekend and loved every minute of the experience – which was as much to do with the cinema I was in as the film itself.
You see, I saw the latest Marvel blockbuster in the sumptuous surrounds of the Montrose Playhouse.
This state-of-the-art palace of entertainment is in the town’s old swimming pool – a building that was empty and surplus to requirement, facing an uncertain future.
But, in a move worthy of a scriptwriter’s tale of an underdog rising against all the odds, local architect David Paton dived in at the deep end by popping online a design to turn the building into a community cinema.
The people of Montrose got behind the concept, rolled up their sleeves, and turned it into a reality.
Built by the community, for the community
A merry band of them even got hands-on by stripping out the old baths to save a quarter of a million quid from the final £3.5 million cost and take months off the completion date, with the cinema opening last October.
That Montrose has its very own silver screen of dreams is down to the dream of the townspeople to make the place where they live better
I can attest that the final result is a plush, comfortable, quirky building full of charm. It just feels like an excellent place to settle back and watch a movie. And it has the added benefit of being built by the community, for the community.
Certainly, it reeks of more soul than your run-of-the-mill multiplex.
That Montrose has its very own silver screen of dreams is down to the dream of the townspeople to make the place where they live better. And it’s a template that can be followed in every town, every community, right across the north-east of Scotland.
In my own town of Stonehaven, there is the perfect example of our beloved Open Air Pool. It only exists because of the hard work by volunteers to first save it, then keep it running.
Just like the Montrose Playhouse, it isn’t only for locals to enjoy, but brings people – and their spending power – to the town.
You can become a superhero in your community
Everywhere has an old building or space that’s sitting empty and unloved that could, with a bit of imagination and purpose, be saved or brought back to life.
The catalyst, though, is always people with vision and love for where they live. They aren’t willing to sit back and just tut about a neglected place or demand the council, or someone “do something”. They get on and do it themselves.
If you are lucky enough to live somewhere with that shiny bright sense of community then congratulations… if not, then why not do something about it?
If you are lucky enough to live somewhere with that shiny bright sense of community – like Montrose – then congratulations. Personally, I am always aware of just how lucky I am to live in Stoney.
If you feel that’s lacking where you live, then why not do something about it? After all, there’s a brilliant cinema in Montrose because one man asked: “Can we do this?” and the overwhelming response was: “Let’s”.
I might have been watching Spider-Man on the big screen, but the Montrose Playhouse is a testament to the real superheroes in our communities who make life better for those around them.
Scott Begbie is entertainment editor for The Press & Journal and Evening Express
