A CAMPAIGN to save the old Savoy Cinema is being set up four years after the theatre closed its doors to the public.

The Savoy in Bridge Street, which closed down in August 1993, was the last cinema in the town and now the St Helens Film Society is examining ways in which to save the cinema. The society hopes that it will be able to set up a Save the Savoy Trust which will be able to purchase the building from the current developer - and with the help of the British Film Institute and the Cinema, Theatre Association - restore it to its former glory.

A spokesman for St Helens Film Society said: "It is still probable that a modern Multiplex will be built in the town, complete with an exclusive diet of American blockbusters, and there is little chance of an independent cinema surviving if it tries to compete with the same programme.

"One option is to restore the building to its original glory, using most as a traditional picture palace showing classic films, utilising part as a cinema museum, and use the third studio as a modern regional cinema showing new releases that the multiplexes tend to ignore.

"But to survive with any options it will need some dedicated enthusiasts."

AN inaugural meeting to set up a trust to save the Savoy will be held on Thursday, October 2, at 7.30pm in The Royal Tavern, Westfield Street, to which anyone who is interested is welcome.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.