THE future of Tenbury’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, which 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 about £200,000.

Elizabeth Weston, Mayor of Tenbury, 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.

20TH CENTURY ARTWORK WILL BE PRESERVED Built to replace the New Picture House, which was on the site since 1917, the Regal Cinema was acquired by the town council in 1972.

It has been cited an excellent example of a 1930s ‘super cinema’ constructed on miniature scale. Designed by specialist cinema architect Ernest Robert, it is nationally recognised by the Cinema Theatre Association as having “one of the most astonishing auditorium decorations of 1930s cinemas in Britain” in the form of a painted mural by George Legge – a ‘trompe l’oeil’ Italian scene around three sides of the interior.

Currently in poor condition and suffering from water ingress through its roof and walls, the grant money will ensure that this precious 20th century artwork is conserved and saved for future generations.