The future of the popular Screen Machine should be guaranteed by the Scottish Government for at least the next 25 years, an MSP has said.
The mobile cinema, which has served areas across the Highlands and Islands since 1998, recently revealed it is under significant financial pressure.
The machine is 25 years old and experiences frequent breakdowns, placing the future of the service in jeopardy.
Highlands and Islands MSP Donald Cameron has written to culture secretary Angus Robertson asking the Scottish Government to provide financial assistance.
Highlands and Islands MSP Donald Cameron said:
“The Screen Machine visits 40 locations right across this region and offers entertainment to communities who would otherwise struggle to access that cultural provision.
“It has been a much-loved feature of rural and island life for a quarter of a century, and can’t simply be allowed to grind to a halt.
“This is a chance for the Scottish Government to back culture in rural Scotland and come up with a long-term solution which enables the Screen Machine to continue for another 25 years.
“Going to the cinema is something you take for granted if you live in a city or large town, but for people in many communities across the Highlands and Islands it isn’t possible, and this facility is simply the only way to do it.”
