An historic former cinema auditorium in Uttoxeter has been spectacularly brought back to life in a £15,000 revamp.

Generations of Uxonians will fondly remember the once-popular theatre-style screening room at the Elite Cinema, in High Street.

It closed in 1998 and the iconic building now belongs to Renew Church, but the auditorium has remained rarely used for 20 years.

The Elite Cinema, Uttoxeter, in 1998
The Elite Cinema, Uttoxeter, in 1998

Now a £15,000 donation from digger giant JCB - which equals the amount it cost to build the cinema in 1935 - means it will be resurrected as a special community room.

It will host weekly activities for families, children's projects and regular youth nights.

Delighted youngsters were able to catch a first glimpse of the new facility when the church held a special unveiling day.

JCB has donated £15,000 to transform the old film theatre from which it is run into a new community room. Pictured are young parishioners gathering in the room to say a big thank you to JCB. Left to right are Renew Church trustee Richard Bullock, Tara Wilkins (15), Sullivan Jankovskis (3), Millie Hamilton (5), Lola Hamilton (8), Isaac Bunting (2), Harriet Granahan (12) and JCB company secretary Steve Ovens.

Church pastor Matthew Murray said: "We are overwhelmed with the generosity from JCB.

"It’s great to see a local business supporting the local community.

"Renew Church is situated in the town’s old cinema, one of the most prestigious and historic venues in Uttoxeter.

The Elite Cinema, Uttoxeter, in 1973
The Elite Cinema, Uttoxeter, in 1973

"When grandparents and parents bring their children to our events, they often recall their own memories in our building from their childhoods.

"It’s great that with JCB’s help, those memories can continue for another generation.

"We can get close to 500 people through our church doors on a weekly basis – when they see the renovated cinema it will enable us to increase what we can offer the community."

Pictured left to right: JCB company secretary Steve Ovens presenting a £15,000 cheque to Renew Church office manager Charlotte Cooper and Renew Church trustee Richard Bullock outside the church in Uttoxeter
Pictured left to right: JCB company secretary Steve Ovens presenting a £15,000 cheque to Renew Church office manager Charlotte Cooper and Renew Church trustee Richard Bullock outside the church in Uttoxeter

Rev Murray managed to secure the donation by approaching JCB's charitable arm, the JCB Foundation.

The funds helped with the cost of renovations, including the installation of new fire exit steps, flooring, carpets, heating and general painting and decorating.

A brief history of the Elite

Former Uttoxeter mayor as a young projectionist in 1959 at the Elite Cinema, Uttoxeter
Former Uttoxeter mayor as a young projectionist in 1959 at the Elite Cinema, Uttoxeter

When the Elite was built in 1935, Uttoxeter already had a cinema - The Queen's Cinema, in Queen Street, which had been open 15 years and could hold 376 people. Both were owned by a cinema circuit firm called Catlin's Entertainment.

It opened with Shirley Temple pictures Bright Eyes and The Perfect Flaw.

The Elite could house nearly three times that amount and attracted visitors from out of town, with the main out-of-town competition coming from picture houses in Cheadle and Tutbury.

Both were sold in 1950 at auction for £40,000 by a Mr J Kimberley, managing director of the Morgan Building Company, in Stoke on Trent.

The Elite Cinema, Uttoxeter, in 1973
The Elite Cinema, Uttoxeter, in 1973

By the mid-1970s, the cinema was more prominently being used as a bingo hall, and it had also been used for musical performances and even wrestling exhibitions.

It was thought to have stopped showing films altogether for a spell, before it restarted in the early 1980s.

The picture house remained popular until the mid-90s, when it would be regularly packed out on Friday and Saturday nights, before it closed in 1998.