All or nothing
This project needs 100% of its target
Help us to raise £62,000 by 31 December to secure a 12-month option on The Royal and enable us to bring it back to the future.
Remember The Royal?
Almost everyone in Plymouth has a memory of The Royal whether it was seeing films; bands or comedians. Queuing around the block; kissing in the back row or screaming at 60's pop stars this building has a place in the city's heritage and people's hearts. Empty since 2019, we now have the opportunity to buy it and transform it into a purposeful community-owned and community-run entertainment hub in the city centre.
Our vision
We are the Plymouth Royal Cinema Community Benefit Society, a volunteer-led group with an open membership. We want The Royal to become a thriving cultural hub for the whole city, combining:
We’re exploring partnerships with organisations including Plymouth Arts Cinema, and we’re building a sustainable business plan so the venue can pay its own way. We all envisage a destination that’s greater than the sum of its parts, bringing new life, visitors and spending into the city centre.
Why we need you now
The opportunity won’t wait. We need to raise £62,000 by 31 December to secure a 12-month option on the building. That gives us the time to finalise our plans and raise the larger funds needed to buy and refurbish it. Without the option, we risk losing the chance to bring this important Plymouth asset back into community use.
How your money will be used
Your pledge goes towards securing the option – a legal agreement that means the cinema can’t be sold for 12 months except to us. It buys us time to raise grant or private finance and complete on the purchase. We only keep your money if the target is reached. If not, you pay nothing.
If we meet the target, every donor will become a Pioneer Member of the CBS, giving you voting rights at our AGM where you can help to shape the future of the building. Please make sure you sign-up to our mailing list to stay in the loop.
Making your pledge go further
There’s also potential match funding of up to £30,000 from Plymouth’s City Change Fund, subject to the scheme’s conditions and approval. This could substantially increase the impact of every pound you give.
And, we’ve made an application to HMRC for Gift Aid, that could increase your contribution by a further 25%.
How you can help
CBS Membership and future benefits
Our plan for 2027 is to raise further funds through grants and a community share issue to purchase the building. Assuming that all goes to plan and we Save The Royal, when we open the building Pioneer members will be eligible for membership benefits which will be organised in tiers. We intend the membership benefit structure to look like this:
Access to Pre-sale
% off hot drinks in café
Free pair of tickets to gift each year
% off all food and drink
Named brick in the refurbishment
Stay in the B&B for 2 people for 2 nights to gift
Private party in a viewing room/smaller screen
Let's do this together
Locals, businesses and leaders are coming together to support this project. The Royal features as an economic and social asset in the recently-launched City Living Framework & Masterplan, and Plymouth Culture's Creative Industries Plan.
And our recently launched tours have shown just how much affection local people still have for this building. Let’s align city-wide strategy with local love to build a bright new future for The Royal.
Help us Save The Royal.
Funding method
All or nothing – this project will only receive pledges if it reaches its target of £62,000 by 31st December 2026 at 12:00pm