Signs looking good for Tain Picture House restoration as schoolgirl's creative talent is put in the frame in Easter Ross town
The creative talents of a schoolgirl are now helping to raise awareness of the old Tain Picture House and the project to restore it.
Shantal Oliver beat other youngsters in a competition to design a sign for the old cinema in Tower Street, which is undergoing major refurbishment to restore it as a community asset.
Her design incorporates a simple drawing of a house, a reel of film winding over the roof, and a colourful depiction of the cinema’s name.
Shantal was a pupil at Fearn School when she took part in the competition, which was organised by Tain & District Development Trust.
“I started with a basic drawing and kept going back to add things to it until I was happy with it,” said Shantal, who is now in her second year at Tain Royal Academy.
She attended the unveiling of the sign with her mother, father and younger sister in June when she was also invited to officially open the doors to the public, for the first time in more than 50
years, for a tour of the building.
The Picture House Project Group, a partnership between the Tain Heritage Trust, Tain and Easter Ross Civic Trust and Tain & District Development Trust, arranged an open day to give
people the chance to see inside the old building, which still has many original features, and to raise awareness of the restoration project.
Derek Louden from the Tain Heritage Trust said: “We’ve now got the facade of the building restored and can set to work on tackling the jobs inside. This year we’ve got to seal the basement and get it watertight and then get on and tackle the lack of heating. We are hoping to get a new source of green power installed this year. Let’s hope the funding keeps rolling in.
Little by little we are getting this mammoth task done. Thanks to every member of the public for helping to make this happen.”
The iconic Grade B Listed building started life as a town hall following its completion in 1876. It later went on to become the town’s cinema and was renamed Tain Picture House in 1939. It closed its doors to cinema goers for good in 1968.
