Campaigners aiming to secure cinema's future

A campaign group is attempting to rally a town to secure the future of an 87-year-old cinema.

The Palace Cinema on Crescent Road in Felixstowe, Suffolk, was put up for sale in June as the current owner looks to reduce its workload.

Felixstowe Town Council looked into acquiring the building, but announced it would not be viable due to costs.

Resident Mark Jones set up Future Palace Felixstowe and is campaigning to buy and transform the cinema into a "thriving" artistic hub.

"It is an iconic building of the 1930s and we want to save it; we want to rescue the Palace from the brink which is effectively where it is now," he explained.

"We see it not as a doomed building, but as Felixstowe's biggest opportunity and we are fighting to transform it into a thriving, creative heart of the town.

"A place for film, live performances, art and a real social hub that benefits everyone and brings much needed life."

The cinema is still on the market with a guide price of £700,000 and is being sold alongside the Palace Cinema in Gorleston, Norfolk.

Palatial Leisure Limited owns both properties.

Corrine Franklin, the mayor of Felixstowe, previously explained the council had met to consider findings of an independent valuation and reports into a potential acquisition of the site.

She said while the council agreed it was an "important cultural landmark", the costs and liabilities "would have placed substantial obligations on the council and its taxpayer".

Mr Jones admitted it was an "ambitious" project and he respected the council's decision, but he believed it was a big opportunity.

Alex Black is a former cinema projectionist and said while there was often talk of saving independent shops, the same was needed for independent cinemas.

"There are fewer and fewer independent cinemas and if you want an authentic experience, something that feels personal to you, something where you can have a say in what you are going to view, that's where community cinemas come in," she said.

"It would be incredible to turn the Palace which is part of Felixstowe's cultural heritage into that."

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