The public meeting at St Mary’s Church on 7th November was very well attended. The packed church was welcomed by the Rev Nick Jones and the project was introduced by Doug Carnegie who gave a brief description of the group behind the Acton Arts Project; how long we have been running and what we are trying to achieve. Mike Taylor took over to give more detail about the proposed set up, finances and schedule - which was outlined in the presentation slides. The floor was then handed over to Sam Neophytou from Arthouse Crouch End, who will be the partner and tenant responsible for the cinema and in charge of day to day operational control. Sam’s enthusiasm and passion for cinema and community were evident and he received a warm reception from those present. Unfortunately, Piers Read from Time+Space Co, who will occupy the first and second floors, was unable to attend but he had provided Sam with some slides which included some images of the project in Hornsey that they are both currently working on. The event was rounded up with a Q&A and the audience asked some very precise and relevant questions; for example: about the funding, about the space for community meetings (which will be on the first floor), how the diverse community of Acton will be included in and welcomed to the new setting.
We will be planning to hold more public meetings in the near future, at different times of day, if you were unable to attend on the 7th
