The founder of Whitley Bay's independent cinema has received a prestigious British Empire medal for his work.
Dan Ellis, 33, was awarded the medal for services to cinema as part of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee honours, but with delays due to Her Majesty’s passing he finally received it just last week. The Jam Jar Cinema on Park Avenue has become one of the best-loved spots in town and beyond - back in 2020, it was named the best small business in the whole of the UK.
Dan was just 23 when he set up the cinema in 2013, hoping to bring the magic of cinema to the coastal town without the multiplex prices and inject some heart back into the movie-going experience - offering visitors “a cosy hug rather than a corporate handshake”, as Dan puts it. The Jam Jar name comes from the old tradition born in North Tyneside where locals would get into the cinema for a discounted price on the production of a glass jam jar.
