Village Odeon celebrates 85th birthday

This week, Gerrards Cross Odeon celebrates its 85th birthday, and a special celebratory film is being shown to mark the occasion.
The cinema in Ethorpe Crescent opened in 1925 and has changed ownership nine times over the years, now being run by Elaine Pullen.
People still flock to the cinema every night of the week, and the two screen picture house recently added 3D facilities in order to keep up with the trends of other cinemas across the UK.
Despite being much smaller than the average multiplex, it has remained popular throughout its many years of existence, and mainly caters for those living in Gerrards Cross, the Chalfonts and Beaconsfield.
It was taken over by Odeon in 2000 and both screens there were refurbished at the time.
This week, the cinema has been showing the 1956 World War II classic Reach for the Sky, starring Kenneth More as Douglas Bader, the inspiring pilot who lost his legs in accident before the war but still went onto fly in the Battle of Britain.
A spokesman for the cinema said: "In the heydays of theatre and cinema in the 1920s, when the cinema was built, nearly every town had its own theatre.
"Very few of its colleagues are still standing, let alone been in continuous use since opening.
"Gerrards Cross cinema is one of these special few sites that has consistently entertained and captured the imagination of its community."
Earlier this year, after many people in the village had been disappointed not to be able to watch the huge blockbuster Avatar in 3D, the cinema upgraded its screens to enable people to watch the new wave of 3D films.
The first to be shown was Tim Burton's version of Alice in Wonderland, which drew huge crowds at the cinema, and since then Toy Story 3 has been shown in the format, with the new Harry Potter film also coming up later this year.
There are also plans to add another 3D projector at the site, to give both screens the capability of showing 3D films.
The cinema was originally a single screen theatre, and was adapted by Classic Cinemas Ltd to contain two screens in the 1970s.
It was also used as a filming location for many older films, with Pinewood Studios operating in nearby Iver Heath, and was used for the opening scenes of Carry on Camping in the 1960s.
To this day, the cinema attracts a loyal following with people in Gerrards Cross, many of whom refuse to go anywhere else to watch new films.
Mary Fittes, 63, said: "I go there a good three or four times a month, with my husband or friends, to watch new films.
"I've been going there for many, many years, and I wouldn't go anywhere else. It's a lovely little cinema, with a really nice atmosphere, and it's great for the village to have it.
"It's quite rare now to find a cinema like this, and I really enjoy going there.
"If it wasn't around, it would mean going into Uxbridge or Slough or High Wycombe to a big multiplex, and I wouldn't really fancy that.
"It's quite an old fashioned place, and quite unique, and for me, it's one of the best things about living in Gerrards Cross.
"I really hope it continues for many more years to come, and that people keep using it.
"I can't see why they wouldn't, it's a fantastic place to watch films."