AS A film lover whose recent favourite is the Johnny Cash biopic Walk The Line, Christine Russell believes Cestrians must 'draw a line' by signing up to preserve Chester's Odeon.
Like many Cestrians, the MP has many fond memories of the cinema, including taking a party of children to see Return of The Jedi there in 1983 to celebrate her son's birthday.
She believes the cinema is one of the cultural hubs of the city and must be preserved at all costs.
She said: 'The comments I am getting from people from Chester and from wider afield - Holmes Chapel, North East Wales - is that it must stay.
'It's not just about improving the cultural offer of Chester - the Odeon has a positive impact on the local economy. We need to retain the viability of the city's vibrancy and this is where the cinema plays a role.
'It increases social interaction - people meet up to see a film, go for a cup of tea and then go shopping afterwards.
'It is also a tourist attraction for a rainy day.'
According to Mrs Russell, the signs are that cinemas are becoming more popular, despite the rise of cheaper DVDs.
The politician believes her campaign to be 'winnable' because of the public response.
She said: 'I have spent much of my career armed with a clipboard and a petition but I can, hand on heart, say that I have never seen such support for this - people were queuing up to sign up.'
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