Property and energy company Banks Group became the first business to sponsor a seat within its upcoming 1950s cinema.
County Durham’s Beamish Museum, which is installing branded plaques on the seats of its 1950’s cinema, has found its first business sponsor.
The open air museum is creating income by offering an engraved brass plaque on the rear of the seats inside its recreation of the Grand cinema, from Ryhope in Sunderland.
The ‘Take a Seat’ campaign has already been taken up by individuals, many of whom have personal or familial connections to the original cinema.
The museum’s first business sponsor has been announced as property development and energy company the Banks Group.
Banks Group is a long-term support of the museum, having already provided a £10,000 grant from the Banks Community Fund supporting the museum’s recreation of the celebrated North East artist Norman Cornish’s Spennymoor home, and a £20,000 grant aiding the construction of a replica of the Coundon and Leeholme Community Centre.
Seat sponsorship is being sold from the museum’s online shop at £295 for individuals. The business package, priced at £5,000 includes acknowledgement of the sponsorship on the cinema’s screen.
Construction began on the recreation cinema last March, and is part of its £11.8m Remaking Beamish project.
Construction begins on new cinema and toy shop at Beamish Museum
The cinema is set to include options of feature length films at set times as well as showing archive footage, shorts and news during the day, plus potential for occasional evening screenings of 1950s classic films.
