Coronavirus in Scotland: Galashiels cinema ready to return to action

The Pavilion Cinema in Galashiels has been in operation for more than 100 years - and run by the Poole family since October 1993.

After two lockdowns, they said it was a "relief" to be opening their doors to the public once again.

They are able to start screening films to their customers with the latest easing of coronavirus restrictions.

Director Andrew Poole said they were pleased to be getting back to doing what they do best.

"This is our 40th year of running cinemas in and around Scotland," he said.

"It is a family business, it is myself and my wife and my brother and his wife that run the Pavilion Cinema.

"The cinema is 101 years old this year and is going strong, it is going really well - or it was until the coronavirus pandemic kind of pulled the rug out from under our feet."

He said that the first lockdown had been a huge shock after 27 years of running what he called a "reasonably successful business".

"Suddenly within the space of maybe two weeks it looked like our entire livelihoods were going to disappear from under us," he said.

"We were going to lose our business, we were going to lose our houses, we didn't know what was going to happen."

He said it was only as support measures like furlough, small business grants and, later, Creative Scotland funding emerged that the situation got a little brighter.

"That took an awful lot of the worry away," he said.

"There were several months of sitting with our heads in our hands looking at each other going: 'We gave it our best shot and if we fail it's through no fault of our own'."

They reopened in August - but for a cinema which would normally have about 1,700 customers a week they were down to 150.

Mr Poole said they were just starting to build a bit of momentum - with 1,100 admissions in the first week of the Christmas holidays - when the rug was pulled out from under them again.

More Creative Scotland support has helped to see them through.

"Without those funds, we wouldn't be here, it's as simple as that," he said.

Now they are preparing to return from 17 May.

"We're getting ready to reopen and we are doing so with an awful lot more confidence this time," he said.

A lot of work has already been done to get the building ready to meet coronavirus regulations.

"The anticipation this time is more around the film choice," said Mr Poole.

"Every week there are another two or three brand new films coming in which are not going to streaming, they are exclusive to cinemas.

"What is regarded as the magic of the movies should be back."

He said that would transform the old building even before the films start to roll on Monday.

"Although there are no customers in, it will have a different vibe to it," he said.

"The building will have a buzz - it is almost like an anticipation of customers starting to come in later in the day.

"The building just feels completely different, it feels ready to go.

"It is almost like you can hear it rubbing its hands together going: 'Come on then, let's get these customers in.'"

Mr Poole said they were a "go-to venue" for socialising as the "only full-time multi-screen cinema venue" in the region.

"There are 113,000 people in the Borders - we are their local cinema," he explained.

He said they had kept in touch with customers through social media throughout the lockdown and now hoped they would return.

"The response has been very, very positive," he said.

"It will be a relief when we do see that response convert into actual bums on seats and popcorn tubs being sold."