Renovated Royston cinema celebrates second first birthday
Royston Picture Palace celebrated its first birthday on Tuesday - Credit: Archant
A renovated cinema which originally opened almost a century ago has celebrated its second first birthday.
The Royston Picture Palace in Royston Town Hall held a small celebration on Tuesday night to mark the anniversary, when volunteers watched Irish comedy Run and Jump.
During the evening town centre and cinema manager Geraint Burnell thanked the volunteers for their work and revealed that 9,765 seats had been sold in its first year since reopening.
Simon Mortimer, who puts on the films at the cinema and attended the ceremony, said: “It was a great evening and a fitting way to repay those people who give up their time free of charge to help put films on.
“If it was not for them, people would have to go miles if they wanted to go to the cinema, so they deserve a lot of credit for what they do.”
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The cinema, which first opened on July 1 1913, now has a state-of-the-art digital cinema boasting a 7.2m screen supported by a 17-speaker sound system.
The project was jointly funded by the Royston First Business Improvement District and Royston Town Council – assisted by grants from North Herts District Council.
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It is classified as a ‘community cinema’ and is entirely run by volunteers from Royston and the surrounding villages.
Films currently show on Friday and Saturday nights, with the occasional matinee on Saturday afternoons.
Tickets are also sold at Royston Library in Market Hill and from the venue before performances.
For more information on film times and what’s on at the Royston Picture Palace, visit www.roystonfirst.org.uk
