projectors at the Museum of London; the presentation of public film shows in the old Royal Air Force camp cinema at the Imperial War Museum, Duxford and the present National Cinema Technology exhibition at Bletchley Park Buckinghamshire.
1994 saw the inauguration of what is set to become the Trust's most prestigious permanent exhibition of cinema equipment. This is Bletchley Park, near Milton Keynes, where a multi-interest complex is being established on the historic site where vital code-breaking was done during World War II.
RESTORATION WORK
Much of the equipment tracked down by the Trust has been in need of restoration. This has been undertaken by teams of enthusiasts with appropriate knowledge and skills. The bulk of the restoration work has been done on 'work-days' regularly held at some of the Trust's regional centres. Other jobs have been tackled by individual members in the their own homes or workshops. Restoration is an ongoing process. There are always opportunities for both old and new members to play a part in it. They do not have to have engineering skills - the most valued contributions are enthusiasm and commitment! Teach-ins are held to give young members a grounding in the restoration of apparatus withdrawn from service before they were born.
PUBLICATIONS
At first a PPT newsletter reporting management meetings, notable acquisitions and other activities, and also containing specially written articles on
various aspects of cinema history and technology was produced. The newsletter soon became a bimonthly publication. It has now been 'upgraded' into a fully fledged magazine, published quarterly. It
is supported from time to time by information sheets on specific items of equipment or film-making processes.
For further information contact the Projected Picture Trust Membership Secretary, Nick Fyffe on 01189 342273.

A Short History - and why you should join

More and more picture palaces were being boarded-up, turned into bingo halls, split into multi-screen complexes or razed to the ground for further redevelopment. More and more projection equipment was being thrown into skips or sold for scrap. it was those developments that led, in November 1979, to the foundation of The Projected Picture Trust.
The initiative began with Charles Beddow, then the British Film Institute's Technical Officer. He had become acutely aware of the situation while setting up the institute's network of film centres. What he saw on his travels convinced him that unless something was done much of the Nation's rich cinema heritage would be lost forever. Beddow's fears were shared by the handful of enthusiasts who responded to a circular letter and agreed to form a steering committee. They included the Curator of the National Film Archive; a specialist designer and consultant; a representative of a screen manufacturer; a member of a regional arts association, and the editor of an amateur movie maker's magazine. An inaugural meeting in March 1979 produced 37 subscribers from both inside and outside of the film industry. That number rose to 63 when the first membership meeting was held in the following November.
The new organisation's objectives were encapsulated in an 18-word statement: "To locate, renovate, preserve and exhibit the equipment and data, past and present, of still and moving images". This remains an accurate description of its current and planned activities. The Trust was registered as an educational charity (No 288,239) in the autumn of 1983. A small but regular income is derived from member's subscriptions, which began at a modest £5 in 1979, and in real terms, are an even better buy today at £15.
CO-OPERATION WITH OTHER BODIES
A voluntary organisation with big ideas but small resources cannot afford to go it alone. Over the years the Trust has undertaken joint ventures with organisations ranging from the National Film Archive to the Magic Lantern Society of Great Britain. Notable examples of this have included a PPT display at an open day at Pinewood Studios; a demonstration of four-channel sound at the National Film Theatre, London; an exhibition of vintage

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