WHAT cheerful news – the screens at York Odeon could soon be lit up again, almost three years after the once-fine cinema closed and fell into dereliction.

So many cinemas have disappeared over the years that it is good to welcome this big-screen comeback.

The old cinema’s new owners have indicated that the reels could be rolling again as soon as next month.

This is uplifting on a number of fronts, not least as belated justification for the 13,000 readers of this newspaper who signed a petition to keep the Odeon open. That particular battle was lost long ago, but now it appears that the cinema’s new owners, Reel Cinema (UK), are getting close to reopening.

Even with so many supporters, the old Odeon had fallen on hard times. It was no longer the place it once had been. Sadness at seeing a familiar haunt come to grief was tempered by the prospect of renewal – even if that new life did seem to be a long time coming. But behind the boarded-up building, work has been progressing on restoring the interior of the 1930s picturehouse.

The imminent return of this cinema should be a boost to cinema-goers and, with luck, to the local economy as well. The Reel cinema will directly help by creating 25 new jobs and, it is to be hoped, could lift other businesses in that part of York, too.

The cinema will initially reopen in a restored version of its former self, with three screens, although it is possible that further facilities will be added once the building is up and running.

Reel’s managing director, Kailash Suri, said he was pleased and excited about the reopening. And so are we.

How encouraging to be able to welcome back such an old friend. We feared the place had Gone With The Wind, but now it is ready to Carry On.