Outdoor cinema launches new community space

SHOWTIME: Comedy horror Hocus Pocus, starring Bette Midler, Kathy
Najimy and Sarah Jessica Parker was a popular choice for the first film

FROM bowling green to silver screen! Part of a Chelmsley Wood park is to be transformed into an open-air cinema this weekend.
Community enterprise Gro-Organic is organising the Halloween screening of Hocus Pocus on the old bowling area in Meriden Park.
The special event, taking place on Sunday, has been arranged to celebrate the creation of a new community space.
Organisers said they were inspired to show a film amid concerns about the increasing expense for families paying a visit to their local multiplex.
The screening was advertised on social media at £1 per person, with the tickets selling out in a matter of hours – before the choice of film had even been confirmed.
Future “cinema” sessions are already under discussion, with suggestions that another family favourite, Polar Express, will be shown in the run-up to Christmas.
The bowling green which is set to be transformed into an outdoor picture house had fallen into disuse in recent times.
Earlier this year, Solihull Council confirmed that the area would no longer be retained for the sport and launched a consultation on how the land could be given a new lease of life.
Gro-Organic was subsequently awarded the contract to run the site and has talked about a number of possible activities including tai-chi sessions and even a regular farmers’ market.
A spokesman said: “We want to make sure that it is a space that can be used and enjoyed by both young and older generations and will hopefully become the centre point of the park for all activities.”