I write to you as a long-serving volunteer steward at the Kinokulture cinema, which I have supported since it started up as a welcome arrival in Oswestry.

I and many others - stewards and customers – are deeply saddened by the cinema’s possible closure, and I was taken aback by Trevor Harris’s letter of criticism in the Advertizer on November 23.

He is ill-informed in his pointers.

The proprietors both have long professional experience in the film business.

In part of the funding they’ve received, it’s stipulated that they show a mix of films - to be intertwined with their mainstream and blockbuster films.

That has actually enhanced what’s been on offer at Kinokulture, by broadening audiences and giving people a different slant on the normal cinematic experience.

OTHER NEWS:

Their start times are not confusing. It’s 7.30pm evenings, 2pm Sundays – and the differences he mentions for Matilda are surely adapted to cater for different Christmas crowds.

The lack of signage on the cinema itself is due to the old chapel in which it is housed being a listed building, and so there are restrictions on what they can display externally

Mr Harris quotes “lease problems.” The proprietors have not mentioned this.

As a community cinema, Kinokulture can’t afford to put on multi-showings of the same so-called blockbuster films back to back across the day, as they do at the press of an automated button at the mainstream complexes to often little or no audience.

I share Mr Harris’s pain that he couldn’t keep the Regal going all those years ago.

But he didn’t have a Covid lockdown and so no customers over a long period to deal with. Nor did he have rocketing fuel costs.

As I said above, it’s really sad that such an asset for the Oswestry area as Kinokulture should be facing closure. All I would ask is that you support the cinema over the coming months, and then - who knows?

James Bond,

Oswestry.