Marlborough's new cinema is now in full construction mode, and it hopes to open its doors in September to coincide with the new Bond movie.

Builders have been on site throughout lockdown, and those behind the Parade Cinema remain optimistic that it will be open later this year. 

External work has included repairs and replacement of the roof, brick and stonework, the restoration of stained-glass windows, and the removal of a chimney from the Manse.

The small extension to the side of the Chapel has been built to house a new corridor that will lead to the auditorium.

By connecting the two buildings, for the first time, it is clear how the auditorium, foyer, and gallery will link with the bar, ticket and café areas, and the upstairs gallery and dining area.

The team running the cinema is forming with the appointment of Dave Williams as the general manager.

Claire Beswick is going to be responsible for what hits the screens.

"I have spent my career doing a job that most people don't know exists. Indeed, I had no idea what a film programmer was until six months before I started doing it," she said.

"Like many in the cinema business, I started on the shop floor. I was studying Music at university, and instead of working part-time in a bar or restaurant, I worked at the local multiplex: a nine-screen cinema in Harrow, North London.

"When I wasn't working, I was sitting in an auditorium watching films.

"My taste evolved in a slightly indie direction, and I took a placement at independent distributor Pathe and worked for the BFI's London Film Festival. My film education was well underway. Between cinema screenings I would catch up on classics that I had missed growing up.

"I, like most people, hadn't really spent too much time thinking about how the films got to the cinema - even when I was working in one. They just sort of arrived. But now, I was beginning to understand that there's actually a level of skill involved. With up to 700 or so films released a year, you had to pick the right one. And every studio wanted their films to play, in as many cinemas as possible, for as long as possible. It was the buyers/programmers job to piece together a programme suitable for the audience, and no two cinemas' audiences are alike.

"Within six months of graduating, I was working as a trainee Film Booker at ODEON Cinemas, a company I stayed with for 11 years until I left to head up the Programming team at Curzon Cinemas, satisfying my arthouse / independent whims.

"I have been involved with The Parade for a little over a year now, originally joining as a consultant to advise on cinema operations matters.

"In late summer, we will be finalising what the opening film programme is to look like. I will be creating a strategy to encompass something for everyone, including accessible screenings, parent and baby screenings, and autism-friendly screenings. There will be the odd hidden gem nestled in there, which you may not be aware of, and a regular art-house or independent film slot."