SIX cinemas in Somerset have received more than £300k from the Culture Recovery Fund.

Westlands in Yeovil received £38,926 in the latest round of grants, whereas the Film Centre in Bridgwater, Ritz in Burnham-on-Sea, Wellesley Cinema in Wellington, Wells Film Centre in Wells and Westway Cinema in Frome all received grants in December.

READ MORE: Westlands in Yeovil receives grant from Culture Recovery Fund

The Film Centre received £42,143 of funding.

Dan Harris, operations director at Scott Cinemas (owners of the Film Centre), said the money will go towards making changes to help customers "feel safe".

"Scott Cinemas are very pleased to have been awarded a safety grant from the Culture Recovery Fund, which will go towards the changes necessary to make our customers feel safe and also welcome when they visit our cinemas," he said.

"Through surveying, customers have told us that they feel reassured when these changes are made and we are very grateful to be able to still provide a somewhat normal cinema-going experience in these trying times.

"Our wonderful teams at our cinemas, who have shown so much dedication over the last few months, are able to feel safe and secure with our implemented safety procedures, doing a job they love."

Wells Film Centre received a £78,980 grant, which the cinema said would help "secure" the future of the venue.

Sally Cooper, owner of Wells Film Centre, said: "After what has been an exceedingly difficult year due to Covid-19, the financial support from the Culture Recovery Fund has helped secure the continued survival of the Wells Film Centre so that we can continue entertaining and bringing together our local community."

The Ritz cinema in Burnham-on-Sea, received £47,142 and so did the Westway Cinema in Frome. And Wellesley Cinema received £69,200.

The latest grants are awarded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund and the British Film Institute (BFI) on behalf of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.

Ros Kerslake, Chief Executive, National Lottery Heritage Fund, said: “These are all ongoing major refurbishment and restoration projects, funded by us, which have been threatened by the pandemic.

"From the oldest surviving outdoor swimming baths to a Victorian pier, and from a much-loved park to an historic abbey, these are all places that will enrich hundreds of lives when they reopen.

"We are delighted this funding from the Culture Recovery Fund will ensure that these exciting projects will go ahead.”