Charitable trust takes over Fort William cinema

The Highland Cinema was cinema of the year at the Big Screen awards in 2023

The ownership of the Highland Cinema in Fort William has been transferred to a charitable trust.

The cinema, opened in 2020, was developed by local businessman Angus MacDonald who is now a Liberal Democrat MP.

It also has a café and an event space which hosts ceilidhs and other community events.

The venue, which employs 30 people, won Cinema of the Year in 2023 at the Big Screen awards.

Mr MacDonald said there would not be any big changes in how it was run under the new charitable trust.

However, he said it would allow them to apply for grants that were currently unavailable.

"I built it for the community," he said. "In my mind it was never mine.

"It is now going along very smoothly. It's vibrant, it's busy, it's a proven success story.

"I can't see there will be any change."

The cinema was built where a town hall stood before it was destroyed by fire in the 1970s.