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Johnny Moped rides again as Screen25 hits funding target

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Screen25 has exceeded its crowdfunding target a week ahead of schedule, and now is ready to celebrate with a screening of the cult Croydon classic, Basically, Johnny Moped.

Star of the show: Johnny Moped will be making a special appearance this Friday at Screen25

The South Norwood-based community cinema set up the fund-raiser to pay for a digital projector, an essential purchase needed to safeguard the future of the cinema which currently relies on second-hand equipment.

Nearly 70 per cent of the funds have been donated by over 130 members of the community and friends of the cinema, with a pledge of £1,400 from the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation taking the campaign over its £4,500 target yesterday.

The acquisition of the new 5,200 lumen HD projector coincides with the recent installation of a new Bose sound system at Harris Academy South Norwood, a purchase made possible as a result of Screen25’s hire payments to the school since the cinema took up residence for its weekly screenings in October.

It all means that there will be a special, celebratory atmosphere at the screening, on Friday, April 13, of Basically, Johnny Moped, Fred Burns’ documentary about “punk rock’s great lost legend” Johnny Moped.

And Johnny Moped – sometimes known by the more prosaic Paul Halford – will be in attendance at the event.

When Inside Croydon attended a special screening of the movie four years ago, we described it as “a kind of Spinal Tap, except that this one is for real, something that actually happened, with the action centred in and around Croydon through the 1970s and 1980s, and much of it captured on shakycam home movies. It could never have been fiction: who possibly could have come up with the idea of a band performing an open-air concert tour all in one day, with the venues being outside a Warlingham pub, in the middle of a roundabout, and on the steps of the Fairfield Hall – complete with the appearance of a Blakey-esque commissionaire? It could only have happened in Croydon.”

It’s definitely worth a viewing, and if you have seen it before, you’ll want to take this rare chance to see it again.

All proceeds from Friday can now towards an application for a premises licence, which will enable the cinema to run a licensed bar every week, boosting revenue for the non-profit group and enhancing the overall audience experience.

Screen25 director Katie Brandwood said, “It feels amazing to have reached our target so early on and to have our work validated by so many people. We are excited to have the opportunity to fundraise for other much-needed assets that will in turn improve our set-up.”

The screening is set to be attended by Halford, along with former band members Dave Berk and Xerxes, who will take part in a Q&A after the film.

Harris Academy South Norwood is at 2 Cumberlow Avenue, London, SE25 6AE.

Tickets cost £10 and include entry into a raffle with a range of prizes donated by local businesses. Click here to book.


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