PUPILS at a York school have written hard-hitting letters to the Odeon's owners to persuade them to keep it open.

The letters - which were composed during Year Three and Four English lessons at Naburn Primary School - all include drawings of life at the cinema.

Matthew Gibson said: "If they knock down the (Odeon) building loads of people will have to go a long way. They will have to travel by car or bus which causes pollution and makes the roads more busy. Do you think this is right? I don't."

Brad Jackson said: "If you destroy the Odeon Cinema, you will destroy our lives."

Jacob Atkinson said: "There are enough flats in York to sink a ship. If they close it down I'll be furious. There should be at least three cinemas in York to keep us entertained." Harry Paley said: "I want it to be refurbished and have extra comfy seats and new carpets and wallpaper and have the carpets vacuumed each day to keep it clean and have nice pictures in the hall.

"I think you have money, so get on and do it."

The school's head teacher, Rupert Griffiths, said: "Our pupils really feel passionate about the Odeon staying open."

Hundreds of pupils at Copmanthorpe Junior School and Derwent Junior School have also signed our petition, along with dozens of worshippers at St Edward the Confessor Church, in Tadcaster Road.

Meanwhile, staff at a Tesco supermarket petrol station have collected a whopping 1,100 signatures for our petition to save the cinema.

Customers signed our forms in their droves at the Askham Bar branch in Tadcaster Road, to make one of the largest totals generated from a single outlet.

A spokesman for Tesco said: "Our staff are committed to helping the local community in issues which are close to their hearts, like the Odeon. We got a massive response to the Evening Press petition from our customers."

Please send in any remaining petition forms to Matthew Woodcock, Evening Press, 76-86 Walmgate, York YO1 9YN.

If you have collected signatures for the Save The York Odeon campaign and not yet returned your forms, please do so as soon as possible.

Updated: 09:59 Wednesday, March 03, 2004