PACL has finally bowed to pressure in the community opposed to the closure of the Penarth Pier Pavilion Cinema and issued a statement on the homepage of its website http://www.penarthpavilion.co.uk/news. But please don't hold your breath... The statement is still woefully inadequate and really tells us nothing new apart from revealing further serious concerns about PACL's management of the Pavilion. They are now saying that 'the last 3 years have shown quite clearly that with limited capacity of the 68 seat cinema the income from ticket sales will never be enough to cover the costs of running the cinema. As a charity we cannot continue to provide facilities that are uneconomical as is the case with the cinema.' How totally ridiculous and embarrassing! 1) As PACL say the cinema is only 3 years old and paid for through grant funding principally through the Heritage Lottery Fund. Surely with millions of pounds at stake PACL would have had to supply detailed feasibility and business plans to HLF and others so if a cinema was not viable it would never have been funded? 2) Last year's accounts show PACL spent £60 on marketing the Pavilion INCLUDING the cinema. Local people say they still don't know there's a cinema there - which is hardly surprising as it is probably the only cinema in the country that doesn't advertise it shows films outside! And that's just for starters 3) If you do a google search on ' how to set up an independent cinema' you will get a fools guide to marketing etc. PACL's publicity and marketing is woefully inadequate - as borne out by the £60 spend! 4) The guidance then goes on to say that you can supplement the tickets sales income with advertising ( on screen, brochures etc), sales of snacks and confectionery, food and drink. PACL's record on its catering offer is well documented 5) Unless someone can correct me the major cost of operating the cinema is the film distribution costs and this is set as an agreed % of ticket sales. So if PACL's finances are in a poor state why cut off a regular income source? Sorry but this explanation is really poor. If PACL cannot or won't operate the cinema then why not hand it over to an organisation that can?That way we can all resume watching films in our lovely unique cinema on the Pier. There needs to be real meaningful open dialogue with the people of Penarth over the future of this wonderful facility