A NEW chief executive has been appointed at Clevedon’s Curzon cinema to lead the ongoing refurbishment of the valued community facility.

Gary Topp took up the post last week and was appointed by the board of trustees to progress the refurbishment of the Old Church Road facility, which celebrates its 101st birthday this weekend.

Recent years have seen the partial restoration of the Grade II-listed building, the expansion of education activities and the enhanced presentation of the historic collection of cinema equipment.

However, there is still a lot which needs doing to complete the restoration and this will require a major fundraising effort.

Curzon board chairman Hilary Neal said: “The Curzon goes from strength to strength as increasing numbers of customers of all ages appreciate the appeal of their community cinema.

“But we must ensure that the Curzon’s future remains secure for future generations.

“Gary is an experienced chief executive with background at national and international levels and a passion for film and working with communities.”

Gary said: “The Curzon is a highly-valued community asset, widely enjoyed by many people, and we now have an opportunity to build on the great work of the last few years and make it into a national treasure.”