The Pavilion – which closed for refurbishment in 2015 – was due to reopen in 2019 but the pandemic, inflation and the cost of living have pushed costs up and caused long delays. Now in the final stages of the project, it’s due to reopen in early 2027.
The Winter Gardens project still has further work to do, and estimate they need to raise £700,000 to upgrade the heating system and add a café bar.
“It’s an important moment,” says Dorothy.
“It means that we, the local people that live here, have control over what happens to it.
“I think people just feel we don’t want to lose it, and there’s so much we can do.”
The main message is that the cinema is the lifeline which is keeping the Winter Gardens afloat and locals need to use it or lose it.
As well as screening films, the cinema hopes to collaborate with local schools where film production is being piloted as part of the curriculum.
They also hope to establish a small film festival.
“We want it to be intergenerational, says Dorothy.
“You look at the history of the building and a lot has happened here in the past, but there’s so much that can happen in the future, and we really want it to be a space that young people on the island will take to their hearts as well as older people looking back. That way, we keep it going for another 100 years.”
Maureen Beattie agrees.
“Time moves on. People want different things and the heyday of the Rothesay Entertainers is not coming back.
So we’ve got to find a way of making this a building where people want to go whenever they come to Bute.”