IT was the final twist in the tale, expected for some time, but I was still saddened by the news that the magnificent Odeon building is to close in late August. I only wish it had been an April Fool.

I visit all three cinemas in York from time to time, but the Odeon is unique. I only hope another operator can stop this building from rotting any further, and restore it to its former glory.

However, as happened when the ABC closed in Liverpool while I was a student there in the mid-Nineties, I fear the place will become another abandoned shell.

What a sad state of affairs. I hope the building's owners are more fanatical about film than they are about their assets here in North Yorkshire.

Alex B Cann,

Chatsworth Drive,

Haxby,

York.

Updated: 09:19 Wednesday, April 05, 2006