Helensburgh's Tower cinema set to re-open after refurbishment

The Tower Digital Arts Centre in Sinclair Street is scheduled to re-open at some point during October, Covid rules permitting, having been closed to the public for the entirety of this year.

While film fans have had to make do without blockbuster releases and get used to the view from the sofa during the pandemic, a team of local helpers has been busy behind the scenes at the charity-run venue as it gets set to welcome back guests for the first time since December.

A fresh lick of paint has brightened up the interior of the former St Columba Church building, while a new snack bar has been built, and work to open up a third cinema screen is almost complete.

How the main auditorium at the Tower looked before Covid - and before the volunteer-led refurbishment work began ahead of the centre's reopening

More live events are planned alongside movie showings, including stand-up, theatre and music as organisers aim to add “another string to The Tower’s bow” and cement its reputation as “more than just a cinema”.

The refurbishment project - which has been supported by around 20 people offering their time free of charge following a volunteer appeal in July - has also uncovered stained glass panels which had been hidden from sight for years.

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And with the grand re-opening fast approaching, volunteers are hopeful that Helensburgh residents, too, will soon rediscover something of their own.

“It’s been a huge loss to the town,” said Donna Hicks, volunteer coordinator at The Tower.

“People are always asking on social media when the place is going to re-open, or stopping us in the street.

“Not everyone wants to travel to the big cinema. It’s a completely different experience you get here.

“We’re not pretending to be Cineworld or anywhere like that, it’s quite a different, unique experience.”

Dave Dunbar, technical director and general manager of both The Tower and the Scottish Submarine Centre next door, is also excited at the prospect of welcoming customers to the cinema once again after a near-18 month hiatus.

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He said: “I’m really looking forward to opening up again. The town needs this place.

“It’ll be nice to get a bit of life back into it again as it’s a hub for the community.”

He also expressed his thanks to the volunteers who have helped out so far.

“I was taken aback at the amount of responses we got [to the volunteer appeal],” he said.

“Grateful isn’t the right word, I was overwhelmed by the response and the effort that everybody’s put in.

“It makes people feel invested. They can come in and say ‘I did that, that was me, that was us’.

“You start to feel at home. Well, I do now and I’ve been here for six years. I’m the ghost of the place!

“When you do things like this you do feel like part of the family and you feel at home. It becomes more than just a volunteering job.”

Volunteer Helen, 51, was a regular visitor to The Tower pre-Covid, and also attended church in the building before it was converted into an entertainment venue.

She said: “I’m not greatly talented in DIY but everyone can play some part, whether it’s just clearing up or mucking in somehow, taking stuff to the dump, there’s roles for everybody.

“It feels nice to be part of that team.

“I hope people will continue to support it. I’m sure they will, because it is so unique. It’s got that nice, cosy atmosphere about it and it’s a building that probably means a lot to a lot of people in the town. We hope they’ll feel at home here.”

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Volunteering veteran Maureen, 82, previously helped out with the Silver Screen events for over-65s each Wednesday, and she told the Advertiser that The Tower can be a lifeline, particularly for older folk.

She said: “It’s part of their life, and their past. They can see something that they haven’t seen for a long time and it brings back memories.

“There is an atmosphere in here, the minute you walk through the door you can feel it, it’s lovely.”

And while famous faces including Jarvis Cocker, Alan McGee and Graham Norton have passed through the Tower’s doors over the years, fellow volunteer Dave said it’s the customers, and helpers, who make it so special.

He said: “There are so many old churches where the congregations have gone, unfortunately, but the buildings have been there hundreds of years. They will be here for hundreds more years, they need to be used for a community purpose and the cinema is an excellent way of doing it.

“I’ve met people who I wouldn’t have met otherwise. I was in the Round Table, then I stopped when I turned 45, so I had a gap in my life where I couldn’t give back to the community of Helensburgh. I’ve lived here since 1972, so Helensburgh has been part of my life for a very long time.

“Now I’ve retired, this is filling a void. I’m just loving it.”