£250,000 from Arts Council England goes to the Engine Room in Bridgwater

Feb. 13, 2013 - PRLog -- Langport design practice, O2i Design has successfully assisted Somerset Film in securing funding for the refurbishment of newly acquired premises.

As a result, Somerset Film is set to receive £250,000 from Arts Council England towards the first phase of upgrading the Engine Room community media centre at 50/52 High Street, Bridgwater. Somerset Film takes its place among important arts and culture organisations across the UK to benefit from this round of capital funding.

The money will enable Somerset Film to enhance its digital and creative media services, to offer new community rehearsal and meeting spaces, a local film and TV archive, improved edit facilities, hot desks for fledgling creative businesses and better access and connectivity throughout the premises. The plans were designed by Langport-based studio O2i Design ltd.

Refurbishment works on this first phase will not start until later this year as a balance to achieve the first phase works of £75,000 must still be raised.

Phil Shepherd, Facilitator, says “This is great news for the start of 2013 – and the cash is a huge boost in the right direction for our work.  It’s not always appreciated that the UK’s arts and culture sector is the largest cultural economy in the world as a share of GDP, but it wouldn’t be there without the all important grass roots support provided by Arts Council and others.   We intend that Engine Room 2.0 will be a creative skills and production resource the Bridgwater and Somerset community can be proud of. Come and see us and hear more about our plans!”  

The plans for the second phase of development of Engine Room 2.0 promise improved and enlarged studio facilities including dedicated space for disabled film makers.