'Why, oh why, couldn’t someone save the Pola'

Welshpool’s Pola Cinema has shown its final film after 75 years of entertaining generations of movie goers, with Thursday’s final night filled with nostalgia and sadness.

Fast and the Furious 6 and romantic comedy, The Big Wedding, featured as the last hurrah with the Thacker family watching the final customers leaving the cinema at around 10pm.

The cinema has been in the hands of the Thacker family for decades with Richard Thacker, and his son Simon, the current custodians who had to face up to the fact that cinema goers simply wanted a little more from their movie experience.

“We would need to change to digital soon at a cost of £130,000 and it is simply not feasible for us to do it,” said Richard, who inherited the cinema management from his father Charlie who was involved since the 1950’s until his death in 2004. “Unfortunately and with a heavy heart, we made the difficult decision to close.

“It is becoming an increasingly popular trend that people are looking for more of a night out when they visit the cinema and not just go for a movie. Growing numbers of people would rather make the trip to Shrewsbury, Telford or even Wrexham where the customer has a much wider selection of restaurants, fast food outlets and bars to choose from and truly make more of their night out. Oswestry is set to have a new multi-screen cinema within 18 months and so we would have been squeezed that little bit more.”

Since we announced the cinema’s closure a fortnight ago, a lively debate as asked people what more could the town have done to supported.

Last night we were emailed by one cinema goer who has been going since the 1950’s and said: “Just come home from the pictures, really enjoyed the film. But it was all tinged with sadness, as the Thacker family and friends watched the last customer walking down those stairs. We have lost today a wonderful piece of Welshpool history. Why oh why couldn't someone help them keep it open. The Pola is more of an asset to the town than the one way system.

Newtown’s Regent Cinema will remain open.