Today in a moment of pure joy I stepped inside our Town Cinema to see for myself the work and investment which has already started on this much-loved landmark - and which will transform it into a fabulous modern film entertainment centre.

I was joined by our Regional Mayor Andy Street visiting and working in the Royal Town.

The new owners are members of Britain’s longest-standing cinema family - with five (soon to be six) other cinemas in their ownership.

PDJ Management is a family business with strong connections to Sutton Coldfield, and now Paul, James and Deborah Jervis are planning to return the Grade II listed cinema - renamed ‘The Royal’ - to its former glory. 

What are they doing? Where do I start! On the outside, the canopy will be fully restored, and the tiles repaired. The original 1936 windows at the front which have for many decades been blacked out will be restored, throwing light onto a fully restored foyer with the Chandeliers and the original high ceiling reinstated. An art deco mural that graced the stairwell in the cinema’s pre-war hey-day will be reimagined by a local artist.

There will still be four screens but with modern sofa furniture, seats, new carpets, catering facilities, balcony and bar. 

Screen 1 (upstairs) will be completely revamped with the screen width enlarged from 8.5 metres to 12 metres. The extensive work is forging ahead, with opening scheduled for before the summer school holidays in July.

Above: Very soon to be renovated, with luxury seats and new carpet!

This is a great news story for our Town. I pay tribute to the enthusiasm and support for what will be the finest cinema in the West Midlands (and maybe in the country) to FOCIS and local councillor David Pears. 

This longed-for result is now before us.

There are many throughout our Town who will be keenly anticipating  the completion and restoration of this great project. 

When it first opened, our cinema was considered such a marvel that it featured in architectural magazines. When PDJ is finished with its restoration, I think it will once again have the same ‘wow’ factor.

Above: meeting the new owner James Jervis (director of PDJ Management)