Wensum Column: Fakenham writer Jim Harding discusses cinema memories…

In his weekly column, Fakenham writer Jim Harding discusses cinemas...

One of the three cinemas in Woking in my childhood used to have a regular Saturday morning programme for youngsters which was very popular.

I never got to find out the actual content as my parents were disinclined to let any of their broods attend for a variety of reasons.

Anyway, from school chat about cartoons and suchlike we very much envied our friends this weekly bonanza. My film-going had to be accompanied by an adult in that era, the first being with my grandma.

I later made my own decisions, of course, and the film which really caught my imagination, along with thousands of others, was The Bridge On The River Kwai.

It was so popular that queues stretched all around the Ritz Cinema building just to get in. Another crowd-pleaser was Rock Around The Clock which was the only film I sat through whilst plenty of others got up and danced in the aisles.

In that period when the big screen was a special treat with very little choice offered on television, something like this was inevitably to be treasured.

How times have changed. When we first settled in Fakenham the solitary cinema in the town centre was in something of a decline.

It hardly made an impact on our lifestyle and was closed for business in 1976. There proceeded to be a few years when the place was deserted, which was a shame as it surely warranted much more.

Whilst its reopening as a bingo hall meant very little to us personally, at least the upkeep had to be respected and plenty of residents found their way in regularly to seek company and a bit of fun.

Bingo was never going to be its long-term future and there was genuine hope that movies might make a return sometime.

This happened in July 2000 after an extensive refit to include three screens to allow for a variety of choices. We have been lucky to take advantage of this ever since with a few bonus offerings such as theatre and opera performances live-screened. Compared with what others living in more built-up environments tell

me, admission prices here are very reasonable. As I mentioned recently, a connection with cinema management led to the formation of Fakenham Film Society in 2011.

There had been a very successful charity night film to raise funds for the British Heart Foundation which started the ball rolling.

I got involved with the committee which meets regularly to select a range of movies which it is hoped will appeal to members.

The vast majority of choices are ones that are not normally shown in the town on a weekly basis. Some might even be foreign with subtitles.

Anyway, the whole initiative has been a success and we hope to keep it going for many years to come.

This is easier said than done in an age when so many people now benefit from multiple film choices in their own homes and perhaps prefer to stay indoors of an evening, especially during the winter months.

Thanks to the Active Fakenham group, this Easter Sunday will celebrate the seventh anniversary of running and bike races around a 1-kilometre track in the town centre.

This will entail the closure of these roads to through traffic from 8am until 7pm. A number of the events will come under the rules of UK Athletics and British Cycling, thus attracting competitors from across the region.

The market place will offer a variety of food stalls and other activities to encourage as many spectators as possible.

At various intervals there will be an Easter Fun Run which participants may wish to join in fancy dress and a Toddle & Trike event for under 5s.

To register in advance, check the Active Fakenham website which has all the details you will need.