Wolverhampton's Light House welcomed the announcement by the Government of a £1.5bn support package for the arts sector, but its CEO says they are awaiting further clarification of what the package will look like and what the application process will entail.

CEO Kelly Jeffs says:

'It was a much welcomed announcement from the Government after all the strong proactive lobbying from the sector happening in the background over the last couple of months. At this point,  Light House remains at a standing start awaiting further financial decisions before we can actively begin re-opening plans.

I am cautiously optimistic but there are a lot of layered and complicated aspects to Light House that have to be considered. We can't just open the doors again, switch on the projector and away we go... we have art exhibitions, events, conferences, workshops, dozens of health and well being community groups, music events, charity fundraisers and alternative content to think about. It is a sum of all parts for us and our activities that generate income streams all have to work together to help our business go on.

I continue to have an overwhelming craving for clarity to share with my team and audiences but without certainties, the frustration remains. Hopefully we will know more in the next couple of weeks when the finer detail of funding criteria and processes have been ironed out by the relevent bodies so we can make better and more timely planning decisions.'

The Independent Cinema Office (ICO) conducted a survey – Reopening Cinemas the Independent Way – to understand the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the independent exhibition industry. It found only 59% of respondents considered they could reopen with social measures in place, with 63% stating they could survive for only three months. Almost half of the 59% believe they will be able to open in September at the earliest.

Light House is also encouraging people who might otherwise be planning to visit the cinema to consider purchasing a ‘virtual ticket’ –  donating the cost of a cinema ticket to their charity. This can be done through their website www.light-house.co.uk or by visiting www.localgiving.org and searching for Light House Media Centre.