Campaign to restore Art Deco cinema

A campaign to restore an Art Deco-style cinema has begun.

Many of the features in the independently-run Forum Cinema in Hexham, Northumberland, have not been refurbished since it first opened in 1937.

The recently formed Forum Cinema Supporters Association (FCSA) is now bidding to replace the 88-year-old lights and curtains which became discoloured from decades of cinema-goers smoking in the auditorium.

Tim Crump, from the FCSA, said it is the "first stab at restoring the ambiance of the cinema".

Mr Crump said the FCSA formed because the cinema has not got the funds for the restoration work.

"They're a very small cinema, they're very local, well-loved in the town, but they haven't got a lot of resources to do the restoration work," Mr Crump said.

The building was bought by JD Wetherspoon in the 1990s and the auditorium size was reduced to just occupy the first floor of the building.

Mr Crump said the work to the auditorium is "pretty urgently required".

"The lights have been through a lot," he said.

"They've had decades of people smoking in the cinema, so you can imagine the state they're in. They haven't been cleaned."

He added the lights currently give off a yellow hue but they should be white.

Auf Wiedersehen, Pet actor Kevin Whately has come out in support of the campaign and said he remembers going to the Forum while growing up in Hexham in the 50s and 60s.

"A visit to the Forum was a real treat," Whately said.

"It was the only place you could get to see a film for miles around."

The FCSA hopes after restoring the lights and curtains it can focus on the next stage of refurbishment.

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