THE owner of a landmark cinema has spoken about what it means to be truly independent as his iconic community institution prepares to celebrate its 80th birthday.

On June 21, the Roxy Cinema in Ulverston will throw a gala week of celebration in honour of reaching such a ripe old age.

Its owner, Charles Morris, took on the Roxy in 2006 and over the past decade has turned it from loss to profit, keeping the much-loved location alive.

In this next part of our series on the Roxy, we spoke to Mr Morris about his life as an independent cinema owner and both the benefits and downsides its brings.

"Independent" is a word which Mr Morris thinks is batted about too easily. In order to be classed as an independent cinema, he says, the owner has to go it completely alone.

He said: "In my line of work there are several of us (proprietors) who finance cinemas ourselves, we are independent.

"Those who get funding from the National Lottery or councils, they are not independent, they are dependent on those sources."

Cinemas can apply for grants from a number of sources, ranging from the British Film Institute, the British Council, the National Lottery or from local authorities.

This is a path that Mr Morris has eschewed. Although this route is personally rewarding, knowing every success is hard earned, it does come with its pitfalls.

During the revolution in the film industry that saw old celluloid phased out in favour of digital projection, cinemas faced the dilemma of modernising at great expense, or going out of business.

He said: "We had to convert to digital, it was a matter of convert or die.

"It cost about £250,000 for the privilege of remaining in business. Saying that, there is a pride in doing it ourselves."

Read the first instalment in our series on the Roxy to find out how it went from ruin to revival

Although the financial burden can be greater for cinema owners going it alone, it allows them a freedom to shape the cinema how they please.

Mr Morris, captivated by the Roxy, devoted himself and his team to maintaining it how it was when it was first opened in 1937. That nostalgia and love of cinema that stemmed from his childhood is a large part of what drives Mr Morris to maintain cinemas like the Roxy.

He said: "I wanted to preserve this building, it's important. It's tied to when I was a young boy, I want to be practical but there is a great deal of nostalgia built into this.

"One of the things that I find sad is when I was 10 or 11 years old the manager of my local cinema let me hang around and do jobs. I was clambering along the roof void, no lights, no handrail, no catwalks, making my way from beam to beam

"You can't let young people do that now, it was a privilege to do that, it's sad as it was such an experience.

Mr Morris and the team at the Roxy are inviting everyone in the area to come along at the end of the month to celebrate their 80th.

A screening of the 1938 swashbuckling classic The Adventures of Robin Hood is set to take place, accompanied by a VIP reception complete with wine, canapes and entertainment.

Advance bookings can be made for the event by visiting the cinema's box office.

Click here for more information on the Roxy.

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