Spalding Town Forum hopes to host special film screening at South Holland Centre for students

A taste of Hollywood could be coming to town - with plans to host a special movie event for students.

Spalding Town Forum is hoping to stage the exclusive screening at the South Holland Centre in the new year, and they’re hoping to add a little tinseltown glamour to proceedings.

The idea came about when Spalding Grammar students told the forum there were films they wanted to watch at the centre, but were unable to as they were shown during the day when they were at school.

The South Holland Centre shows occasional movies but youngsters in the district regularly have to travel to Boston, Peterborough or King’s Lynn to catch the latest blockbusters.

“I’d like us to sponsor the ticket price for teenagers and have some sort of fuss around it,” Coun Rob Gibson said at the last meeting.

“If it was Wicked we were showing maybe we could get somebody dressed up like the witches and get a buzz about it.”

A similar idea drew the crowds in 2021 when, post Covid lockdown regulations, the centre screened James Bond movie No Time To Die just a fortnight after its premiere, with 007 props adding some sparkle.

On Tuesday forum members voted unanimously to put their proposal to South Holland District Council, requesting up to £2,000 from the special reserves to help fund the event.

It was hoped to run the movie afternoon one Saturday in January, but unfortunately the centre’s projector is currently awaiting repair and parts are expected to take up to eight weeks to be delivered.

“We’re hopeful we can do something in February,” Coun Gibson said.

“We were hoping to get a couple of screening ideas then put it out to the schools for some sort of steer on what they’d prefer.

“We thought maybe Wicked, but by February maybe that would be too late.”

Coun Elizabeth Sneath hopes that, if a success, student screenings can become regular events.

“I think this is great, but I’d like to think that if this is a success we can do it more than once,” she said, remembering how she would visit the town’s Savoy to watch films as a youngster.

“Teenagers say there’s just nothing for them.

“We do shows for young children, so let;s make it more accepted we do this for more grown up children, teens.

“We can’t always fund it to this extent but let’s try to encourage other sponsors to come forward.”