The cinema hidden down an alleyway where visitors scribble ideas for films they'd like to see

Tucked away in a quaint alleyway, the Bijou Cinema in Southport is one of the area's best-kept secrets.

The community venue is nestled in Post Office Avenue, just a stone's throw from Lord Street and adjacent to Sainsbury's car park. A small sign leads you down a narrow passage and through a grand Victorian doorway into the town's newest and smallest cinema.

Upon entering, you're usually greeted by a friendly staff member or volunteer who directs you to the bar for tickets and refreshments (ranging from tea and biscuits to stronger beverages for those not driving). A large chalkboard stands ahead where visitors can suggest films they'd like to see.

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During a visit by the ECHO's Gary Stewart, suggestions ranged from Muriel's Wedding and Rambo to Jaws and Goodbye Mr Chips - an eclectic mix indeed.

The Bijou Cinema was recently crowned Entertainment Venue of the Year at the Southport BID Stars Awards on Wednesday, April 17. Following the awards, a spokesperson dedicated the accolade to Mike Lockwood, said: "Like all awards, this is dedicated to Mike Lockwood, without whom the Bijou wouldn't be here.

"Thank you to everyone who voted for us and for all your love and support, it is very appreciated and we hope to continue to entertain you with films, music, comedy and more over the years to come."

It has also been shortlisted as one of ten Hidden Gems in the Liverpool City Region Tourism Awards in 2023.

The Bijou has given me the opportunity to see Strangers on a Train, Dial M For murder, Thelma and Louise, Twelve Angry Men, Terminator 2 and Die Hard on the big screen for the first time (well biggish screen, it's about 5m wide so still well beyond even the largest of home widescreens). Seeing Die Hard with proper surround sound and an audience was a brilliant experience considering I must have already seen it dozens of times on video and DVD.

I've also taken my mum there to see John Wayne/John Ford classic The Quiet Man, a favourite of her late brother and something we couldn't have done together at most cinemas. As well as classics they also show more recent but perhaps little known films that perhaps wouldn't trouble your local Odeon.

It's that mix that draws such a loyal crowd. On my last visit the performance was Alfred Hitchcock classic Rear Window starring James Stewart and Grace Kelly. The 75 seat cinema was full with just a few single seats dotted about and late coming couples who couldn't sit together were finding alternate arrangements. Luckily for us a lady switched seats and we were soon gabbing with strangers about the full house and the film, remarking you wouldn't get many people offering their seat at a multiplex, or glugging white wine and Sandgrounder beer as the majority of the audience seemed to be.

After reaching out to Bijou manager Andy Harrison to tell him I wanted to write about them, he immediately focused on the purpose of a community for film lovers. He told me the cinema was envisaged by Mike Lockwood, the driving force behind the Bijou who died in 2021. He said: "Mike's wish was, when you go to multiplexes it's not in the nature of them to hang out after a film and talk about what you have seen. Mike being an older person on his own he knew you can't discuss what you have seen when you had no one to talk to. You saw the film and that was it. He wanted a place where people could come, watch a film, sit and talk to each other and share their passion for film and it seems to have really worked."

Andy, 27, a Southport native and Edge Hill University film graduate, used to manage local bars until he met Mike at a film club in Southport around 2016 or 2017. "We met at a film club in Southport. That was in 2016 or 2017 and he mentioned he'd been planning to open a cinema for years."

"In 2019 he got back in touch to say it was going ahead but with him being in his 70s he wanted someone to manage and run it. He knew me and that I had a hospitality background so that's how I came to be the manager. We opened in October 2019 so we only had six or seven months before we had to shut due to the pandemic but it was enough time to get a bit of an audience that helped us to keep going. Lewis and Phil soon came on board and the rest is history."

"Mike got to see the business up and running but he passed away in January 2021. I wish I he could see it now."

Converted from what was originally Southport's post master's house, The Bijou is now a community interest company with Andy joined by staff members Lewis Simpson and Phil Pierce, as well as a group of volunteers who help out with ushering duties, social media, making cakes and all the other things a cinema needs. The cinema is on the ground floor and upstairs is a function room where they have branched out into comedy gigs and a monthly music night. Check out forthcoming events here.