A COMMUNITY cinema proved a reel success when it made its debut in Holmes Chapel last month.

Holmes Chapel Community Cinema (HC3) held its first screening, period drama Belle, at the Victoria Club on September 18.

Organisers breathed a sigh of relief as the event, which was the result of months of hard work, proved a huge hit with residents.

Bill Bowers, HC3 treasurer, said: “I’d like to say how delighted I was to see everyone attend the showing of Belle. We were all biting our nails, wondering how many people would come – and it was wonderful to see the place full.”

The HC3 project was triggered by the results of a parish council survey ‘What We Want for Holmes Chapel’, which indicated desire for a community cinema.

The parish council asked a group of volunteers to set this up on a non-profit basis and a start-up grant of £1,115 has been provided by Cheshire East Council.

Cheshire East Clr Les Gilbert, who attended the last month’s screening on behalf of the council, said: “This is a great example of a community-led project and projects such as this illustrate the strong sense of community that exists in Holmes Chapel.

“Something like this doesn’t just happen by itself – it takes people with vision and energy to make it happen.

“I want to congratulate HC3 chair Peter Clinton, its treasurer Bill Bowers and the rest of the team. I know that a lot of effort has gone in to this in terms of research, consultation and planning and I was very pleased to see such a strong turnout to see their first screening.

“Cheshire East Council is pleased to be able to support the project by funding the start-up costs.

“I now urge the community to get behind this initiative and show their ongoing support – and I wish the project every success going forward.”

HC3 aim to show one film a month and the next film, The Hundred Foot Journey, will screen on October 31.

Tickets will be available at the door or advanced tickets can be bought from Chethams shop in Holmes Chapel.

For more information, visit hc3.uk.