'People are calling us the Prince Charles Cinema of the east': inside the only UK cinema that pays its members

"When you hear the phrase 'cultural film hub', the Essex town of Romford won't be the first place that springs to mind. And yet, nestled on the third floor of The Mercury, its shopping centre, you'll find a new endeavour that's lit a fuse under not just in its community, but across the UK. This cinema boasts members from as far and wide as the Hebrides and beyond the UK itself, many of whom will never even attend."

"Membership to the Lumiere Romford, a not-for-profit, community-led cinema similar to London's The Castle Cinema or Portland's Clinton Street Theatre , costs £30 a year, but it offers a USP that marks it out from the average cinema membership. Alongside discounted tickets and concessions, from May 2026, when the Lumiere begins to make a profit, members will pocket a share as 'Lumiere credits'. They'll be redeemable at the cinema - a kind of collectivist approach to cinema going."

"The Lumiere, which opened in April, is the brainchild of 52-year-old former Mercury Shopping Centre manager and Romford Film Festival organiser Spencer Hawken, a cult movie devotee. The walls of this old multiplex in the shopping centre are now covered with old movie posters, red velvet barriers adding a touch of old Hollywood glamour to the lobby. There are seven screens and plans to turn an eighth into a 'mini Phoenix Arts Club ', a nod to the off-Soho venue known for its cabaret and comedy nights."

Lumiere Romford is a not-for-profit, community-led cinema located on the third floor of The Mercury shopping centre in Romford. Membership costs £30 a year and includes discounted tickets and concessions; from May 2026 members will receive 'Lumiere credits' redeemable at the cinema once the venue turns a profit. The venue opened in April and features seven screens with plans for an eighth 'mini Phoenix Arts Club'. The founder, former shopping centre manager and Romford Film Festival organiser Spencer Hawken, attracted over 4,000 members through crowdfunding, local media and word-of-mouth, drawing members from across the UK and beyond.

Read at Time Out London