Scala Cinema shuts doors amid uncertain future

The Scala was given a £3.5m facelift when it reopened its doors in 2009 after closing in 2000

A cinema and arts centre in Denbighshire has closed its doors and may not reopen unless funds are found to secure its future.

Last month bosses at the Scala in Prestatyn learned they would lose a £40,000 subsidy from next April.

It marked the end of a difficult year in which visitors numbers fell due to the summer weather and staff were cut.

The Scala was given a £3.5m facelift when it reopened its doors in 2009 after closing in 2000.

"Urgent assistance is required," said Rhiannon Hughes, chair of the Scala Trust which helps to run the venue.

She said funding the running costs has always been an issue since it reopened six years with Denbighshire council as the building's owner.

Five staff have been made redundant.

Scala supporters held a protest in December before the council cutbacks

Councillor Huw Jones, cabinet lead member for tourism, leisure and youth, said the council was committed to keeping a cinema in the town and had repeatedly tried to help the trust.

Pressure mounted on the Scala in October when it struggled to meet a £20,000 credit agreement with the county council to cover staff wages.

It also gave the Scala a loan of £86,000 in 2010 without setting a repayment date.

In December, Denbighshire councillors agreed to £17m in funding cuts affecting council services and subsidies paid to groups, including the venue.