The Ashford Cinema – six months on

The Ashford Cinema has now been open for six months and in that time, we have been through some big and exciting changes. Almost 40,000 customers have experienced films such as Despicable Me 3, Inside Out 2, Deadpool and more.

The team has been busy developing a new food menu which now includes delicious pizzas, burgers and fresh salads. There are upcoming works taking place on the bar which will give the space a refreshed new look.

Ben Hammond, The Ashford Cinema’s business manager, said: “We are incredibly grateful for all the support we’ve received from our customers over the past six months. This has meant we’ve been able to offer a diverse programme of films and events to the Ashford community. 

“Our venue has become a space for locals to enjoy everything from coffee meet ups and cinema visits to meals with friends and special events. We're continuously working to develop our offerings to cater to the whole community, and the feedback we've received so far has been truly wonderful. Looking ahead, we have an exciting lineup of events and new offers that we can't wait to share with everyone in Ashford.”

The cinema has hosted a number of local community groups, including Nepalese community film screenings and premieres, working with Screen South to support local film makers in the South East, running a number of successful charity quizzes supporting various causes in Ashford and surrounding areas, and worked with a variety of groups to support the local community from Kennington Under 8’s football team through to Kent Fostering Services.

The Ukeladies, a group of Ukulele players, have been using The Ashford Cinema as a base over the past couple of months. Pauline Beer, a member of the Ukeladies, said: ‘The Ukeladies would like to thank Ben very much and indeed his lovely team for all the support and encouragement they have given us in The Ashford Cinema.

“We are a small group of ladies from the Ashford community (part of the Ashford and District Ladies Friendship Group covering also Kent and England). We enjoy meeting together to strum and sing the Ukulele. Without The Ashford Cinema's support we would struggle to find a home.”

Cllr Noel Ovenden, Leader of Ashford Borough Council, said: “The first six months of trading shows a positive direction of travel, which is very encouraging. The council was keen to see more social value from the cinema as a cornerstone to our town centre, and we wanted to see the space used as a community facility, and not reliant just on film releases.

“The Ashford Cinema reports growing interest and momentum with these community events and overall the progress made in the first six months of trading has been positive. While recent evidence shows that the cinema market continues to be challenging, there is undoubted potential for growth, and the diversification into events more widely is helping the appeal of the town centre cinema offer.”

The Ashford Cinema has also recently introduced:

• Midweek Magic - £6.99 tickets every Monday - Wednesday (previously just on Mondays)
• Silver Screen for over 60s is now at 11am every Thursday with a £6 ticket (including a free hot drink and biscuits)
• E-gift cards are now on sale to purchase on our website (physical cards coming soon!)

Other events we have coming up, include:

• The Mayor’s Charity Quiz Night (27 October): supporting Sk8side charity. Spaces are available to book via louise.aistrup@ashford.gov
• Dungeons & Dragons (2 November): following the success of our first D&D event, we will be hosting another one with our very own Dragon Master. The event is suitable for mixed playing levels. Players can email info@theashforcinema.co.uk to reserve a spot
• Sleepy Hollow (16 November): W. Burgess, author of ‘Early Haunts’ will be hosting a curated introduction. Marc Spalding, who played Jonathan Masbath in the film, will be taking part in a Q&A at the end of the screening. Tickets are £5 or £20 including a signed copy of ‘Early Haunts’, are available to purchase here.
• Polar Express Pyjama Party (7 December): enjoy the 20th anniversary of the Christmas classic in your pyjamas! Each ticket includes a hot chocolate, a homemade cookie and a free souvenir ticket. There will be arts & crafts, fun in the foyer, and a chance to meet Santa, and our very own conductor. Tickets are available to purchase here.
• Christmas - over the Christmas period we will have a brand new festive menu, we will be screening a selection of Christmas films, and the venue will be available to hire for private Christmas events. Contact us at events@theashfordcinema.co.uk to enquire about Christmas parties and private screenings.