A long-standing institution in the town of Whitehaven will be celebrating their centenary anniversary later this year.

Independently owned, The Gaiety Cinema, opened in April, 1922, and has since been providing the town with spectacular flicks on its screen.

Manager, Martin Harvey, who has been with the company for 15 years, said he was “excited” with the cinema being open again, following a difficult two years during the pandemic.

“We really want the Gaiety to continue to be at the heart of Whitehaven for many years to come,” he said.

“It’s been sad for us as a cinema not to be able to welcome our customers for so long, but we are very excited to now be open again.

“For added excitement, the reopening of cinema comes alongside the long-awaited release of some big films, so there is plenty to keep everyone entertained,” he said.

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The cinema, owned by Graves (Cumberland) Ltd, is looking towards a busy Spring season with blockbuster movies at the forefront, including Batman; Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore; Downton Abbey 2 and Top Gun Maverick.

“Cinema is such an immersive experience where you can escape into another world for a couple of hours, laugh, cry and gasp with friends, family or on your own. It’s lovely to be able to offer that big screen experience within the town,” he said.

The original cinema was split into 2 levels during the 1980s, creating the current 264 seat picture house, with the original stalls being transformed into the company’s Opera Bingo Hall.

With the cinema’s single-screen occupancy, they look to provide good value and varied productions that cate to all age groups within the town.

“As a cinema we always strive to bring the people of Whitehaven the new releases as soon as we can; and we genuinely appreciate the support of the local community.

“We are keen to do something to celebrate this amazing 100th achievement, so look out for news on that soon,” Martin added.