THE future of Tenbur y’s Regal Cinema is secure.

Bosses from the Heritage Lottery Fund gave the town a much hoped-for Christmas present when it announced approval of a £680,000 grant.

It secured the future of the building that was completed in the 1930s and is regarded as one of the best of the few remaining examples of inter-war cinemas built in towns throughout the country.

The grant will enable a major restoration including the complete replacement of the roof to begin in the spring of 2011.

Work will also include the installation of a new heating system and modern toilet facilities.

The unique Mediterranean mural inside the auditorium will also be renovated and this part of the project is believed to be the most expensive, costing in the order of £200,000.

Elizabeth Weston, Mayor of Tenbury, who owns the cinema, has welcomed the grant as a huge relief.

She had warned that without the money the future of The Regal would have been in serious doubt because the town council had no access to the kind of money needed for its restoration.

It is expected that the restoration will begin in the spring of 2011 and it is likely to be 2012 before The Regal can open for business.

David Hambelton, one of the volunteers who run the cinema is excited about the prospect.

“We look forward to being able to reopen The Regal as a modern cinema,” he said.

It is hoped that a further £100,000 can be raised to pay for the installation of a state of the art projection and sound system which can be put in place when the main restoration is complete.

Picture: left-right, rear: Jan Kelly, David and Shirley Hambleton, David Parry, Mac, Ben Bydawell, Dawn Worgan and Sally Mathews.

Front: Penny Hanford, Peter Handford, Peter Beavis, Tenbury mayor Elizabeth Weston, Freya and Maggie Ball, Ellie and Alex Worgan and Beryl Beavis.