Lots of people went along to the Pendle Hippodrome Theatre in Colne to celebrate its 100th birthday!
The theatre opened on September 21st, 1914 and for the past 28 years it has been run by an amateur theatre group and been a big success, with lots a great shows taking place there.
So to mark the occasion the Pendle Hippodrome Theatre Company organised their Centenary Gala Evening which included a meal and the band “12 Bars from Mars”.
The visitors included the Mayor and Mayoress of Pendle, Coun. Graham Roach and Joanna Sagar, and Pendle MP Andrew Stephenson.
The theatre’s chairman, Mr Kevin Mason, welcomed everyone and praised the volunteers involved in running it.
Lots of pictures of the history of the theatre, including much of the great restoration work, were on show on screen. Unfortunately a film about the theatre’s history was not ready in time, but it will be shown later in the year.
Following the recent death of Mr Brian Bird, his wife Tessa also spoke at the event. Brian was a founder member and later life vice-president of the Hippodrome. Tessa revealed that Brian had left £500 to the theatre.
“12 Bars from Mars” started playing great music and people very much enjoyed dancing both before and afger the excellent meal.
In 1914, the Hippodrome was built by Colne’s George Fort. In those days it featured silent films, before being replaced by talking movies in the 1930s and bingo in 1964.
In 1978 it closed, and people involved in Pendle’s amateur theatre groups decided to take it over. It took nearly nine years to restore it, with £130,000 spent on the work to produce a magnificent theatre.
It has proved a venue for many local performers, charities, schools, drama and dance groups as well as being the home for the organisation’s own theatre groups – Pendle Hippodrome Theatre Company and Pendle Hippodrome Youth Theatre.