The relaunch of Whitehaven’s Gaiety cinema has been a resounding success, says its management.

The Tangier Street venue has celebrated the one-year anniversary of its reopening, following a 12-year closure, and says the film-going public have welcomed it back “with open arms”.

Nick Smith, managing director of the cinema’s owners Graves (Cumberland) Ltd, said: “We’re encouraged by the reception the Gaiety has received during its first year.

“After 12 years without its own cinema, the people of Copeland have welcomed it with open arms and it continues to go from strength to strength.

“We’ve over 5,000 Facebook ‘likes’ and more than 100 five-star reviews. We’ve invested heavily and we’re committed to developing the whole cinematic experience further with our continued programme of unique and special events, alongside our wide-ranging programme of film content too.”

The Gaiety has had tens of thousands of cinema-goers through its doors to over 100 films since it reopened last October, including Star Wars, Finding Dory and Bridget Jones’s Baby . It has also hosted a number of events, including school visits and one-off screenings.

The cinema closed to public uproar in 2002, but was reopened permanently following a successful trial at the Western Lakes Film Festival in summer 2015. It was relaunched with a screening of the classic Back to the Future followed by James Bond blockbuster Spectre .

A new monthly film quiz night has been launched at the Gaiety, taking place on the first Monday of each month at 7pm. And Christmas classic The Grinch will be shown on Sunday, December 11, complete with appearances from The Grinch and Father Christmas following the show. Tickets are available on 01946 748507 or www.gaietycinema.co.uk.