I'M writing in response to recent readers' letters about the lack of a small town-centre cinema.

I, too, remember with nostalgia my childhood visits to the old Odeon and the ABC, and I understand these readers' feelings. However, the Odeon, and in particular the ABC, which closed only a few years ago, did so for good reasons.

Not enough people were going, and being small they could not afford the upkeep. In the end, the ABC was scruffy, dingy, the toilets were a mess, and the screens were dirty and badly scratched, despite a high ticket price.

These smaller cinemas could not afford or get hold of the big blockbuster films until the multiplexes had done with them, by which time most interested people had seen them elsewhere.

Even when I was a kid, I remember going home disappointed sometimes because the small auditoriums were full.

The large multiplexes might be slightly out of the way, but they offer fantastic large screens, large seating areas, comfort, and a great choice of films. The whole experience is better, especially for kids!

If S Dunn makes a small effort, it would still be easy to take his or her son to the pictures.

Cineworld at the Valley, for instance, involves just a few minutes bus ride from the town centre, and then a five minute walk.

Over the last few years, I have taken my children there many times in this way, and it's well worth the small effort. There's even a bar and restaurant in the cinema, and a McDonalds close by!

Mrs Smith Bolton