Much-loved cinema needs a new home

After opening its doors to hundreds of movie-goers, the Dewsbury New Picture House will screen its last film this month.

The 50-seater cinema, run by a team of volunteers, opened in 2012 as a not-fot-profit venture at Yorkshire House on Southgate.

The landlord provided the space rent-free but the cinema will have to move at the end month and find a new base.

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John Harrison , committee member at New Picture House, said: “It has been a really good four years here and it is a shame for us to move.

“The landlord has been really generous by letting us have the space rent-free for so long.

“It’s been great for the community, it is an empty space that has been tidied up and looked after and there are too many empty things in Dewsbury now.

“We have grown as a group since we started, we knew nothing about running a cinema before but now we have so much more experience and everyone who comes is really positive.”

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Mr Harrison said the group is searching for a venue to screen some films during the summer before looking for a permanent home in autumn.

A team of 14 volunteers started the cinema in 2012, but the group is now down to six.

It also gets help from some young people to operate screenings.

The cinema has screened two films every month since it started.

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Screenings this year included Hollywood blockbusters Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Bridge of Spies.

The next screening is at 7.30pm on Friday for Quentin Tarantino’s The Hateful Eight. Visit www.newpicturehouse.com