Five independent cinemas in Gloucestershire will share more than £233,000 from the Government's Culture Recovery Fund.

The Studio Cinema in Coleford receives the biggest chunk of the money in the county, allocated by the British Film Institute, with £69,200.

There is £49,945 for the Palace Cinema in Cinderford, £45,625 for the Sherborne Cinema in Gloucester and £41,270 for the city's Guildhall Arts Centre while the Electric Picture House in Wotton-under-Edge will receive £27,324.

The grants are among £16million paid to more than 200 independent cinemas across the country as part of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport fund.

Sherborne Cinema owner Mark Cunningham said: "We are very grateful to the DCMS for making funds available to support independent cinemas like ours, which we believe serves a diverse community of people in Gloucester and has been missed by our regular customers of all ages and backgrounds.

"We could not have provided a safe environment for our customers without this generous funding.

"We can keep the cinema open as long as Gloucester remains in tiers one or two."

Cinemas will be able to apply for another £14 million in grants in the new year as part of the second round of the Culture Recovery Fund.

Electric Picture House owner Gareth Negus said: "After a tumultuous year, we are relieved and delighted to have been awarded this funding from the Culture Recovery Fund.

"The stability this provides will allow us to continue offering our audience a diverse, exciting and entertaining range of films from across the world, while we explore the continued challenges - and possibly opportunities - created by the disruption to the cinema industry.

"We know the people in our region share our enthusiasm for the cinema experience, and we look forward to sharing more films with them."

The BFI worked closely with individual cinemas to provide detailed and bespoke support throughout the application process.

BFI chief executive Ben Roberts said: "Across the country, local independent cinemas are hubs and lifelines for communities and often the only form of culture and entertainment.

"From educational programmes and workshops for young people, to screenings for the elderly and audiences with specialised needs, these cinemas play such an important role in people's lives.

"The Culture Recovery Fund will mean that many of these cinemas survive the current crisis, and go on to play a vital role in the recovery of local economies and communities, bringing people together to offer joy, solace and the magic of the big screen."