September 26, 2005
Burnham cinema staff celebrate as the Ritz reaches its first birthday

Film fans and staff at Burnham-On-Sea's Ritz Cinema are this week celebrating its first birthday since re-opening for business in September 2004.

The Ritz Cinema in Victoria Street originally opened in 1936 but closed in the summer of 2002 before local businessman Patt Scott took over it and re-opened it on Friday September 17, 2004.

Now, a year later, the cinema is busier than ever with large numbers of film fans visiting to watch the latest blockbusters from Hollywood and around the world.

Our photo shows, from left to right, cinema staff Lian Hughes and Jay Windard with supervisor Sam Northcombe in party mood in the cinema's entrance hall.

Owner Patt Scott (pictured right) is determined that the cinema will continue and added: "I want to thank the people of Burnham for supporting me. The more we get, the better."

He added: "Attendance has its ups and downs but we're generally well supported and some people are even buying our season tickets."

Patt, who also runs a local newsagent shop, bought Burnham's cinema in 2004 and spent over £120,000 on fully renovated it by introducing two brand new large screens, state-of-the-art projectors, air conditioning and seats for up to 230 people.

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What's On In Burnham-On-Sea

Burnham Cinema re-opens after £120,000 renovation