WHITEHAVEN’S much-loved Gaiety Cinema WILL reopen permanently, managers have confirmed.

The Tangier Street cinema, which has been closed for 12 years, will have new state-of-the-art picture and sound and a seating upgrade ahead of its reopening this autumn.

Nick Graves, managing director of the Gaiety’s owners Graves (Cumberland) Ltd, said: “With vital community support, we believe we can bring back to the town a much-needed leisure resource.

“We hope the people of Whitehaven will welcome a cinema in their hometown and will make full use of the Gaiety’s facilities.”

The Gaiety reopened temporarily for the Western Lakes Film Festival in June and was sold-out for the majority of screenings.

This success, says Graves, has persuaded the company to reopen the facility permanently. Three or four new jobs are expected to be created.

Charlotte Kennedy, marketing manager at Graves, which also owns Workington’s Plaza Cinema, said: “We believe that with continued public support, we can provide a first-class cinema experience that will complement our current multiplex operation at the Plaza.”

The Gaiety closed after 81 years in 2003 due to depleting audiences. Its last film was Pirates of the Caribbean and its closure left Whitehaven without a dedicated cinema. A host of campaigns have since been launched calling for it to reopen.

Copeland mayor Mike Starkie has welcomed the news. He said: “I am absolutely thrilled that a refurbished Gaiety is going to be reopening in the town.

“The popularity of the recent film festival demonstrated the appetite Copeland has for such a facility and I am delighted that Graves is giving Whitehaven such a vote of confidence with the investment and I am sure the residents of Copeland will welcome with open arms the return of the much-missed Cinema.”