A Note From Sam

I should start this with a huge thanks to Chris Cooke, our former chair. I first came along to Film at the Folk Hall in November 2015 and met Chris to see if she needed any help perhaps with social media. I got a big hug and immediately welcomed on board that night. What she had done to turn a vision into a concept and that concept into a reality was really something special and jumping on board was a no-brainer for me. I am a huge movie fan and I live just around the corner! Between us and our band of incredible volunteers we pushed forward and helped ensure our longevity by having me take over the technical side of all screenings thus reducing our overheads and allowing us to try new things. It worked! We have had an overall steady increase in audience numbers since then.

Chris has recently decided it’s the right time to step down but will always be a part of Film at the Folk Hall and we are glad to have her on board as a member and supporter. The idea of taking the reigns of something like this was a big deal for me. I’ve never been one who is happy to do things by halves but do have a full time job as well as a busy life. Having said that Film at the Folk Hall has quickly become a passion project for me. I love films, in fact the only thing I love more than films is people, so you can imagine that I have big ideas and hopes for what we might be able to achieve with Film at the Folk Hall one day. Reaching out to all parts of our community and creating somewhere people feel welcome to come and discover film and connect with each other is the main aim. For now I’m committed to getting to grips with my new role here and making sure we can keep doing what we do very well already.

I’m so pleased to say that we have had some new volunteers joining our team recently. The idea of taking over here without the help I have would be a bit scary for me but thankfully we have some amazing people generously giving their time just to make all this work properly and bring you great films every month. But without you, our audience, we would quickly cease to exist so the biggest thanks goes to you – For visiting the website or telling a friend about us; for turning up on film night or buying a membership; for filling in a questionnaire and letting us know how we could improve. Whatever your contribution is we truly appreciate it. Looking forward to seeing you next time!