TENBURY'S Regal Cinema could be set to benefit from a substantial cash injection that will revitalise the historic building.

Officials from the Heritage Lottery Fund visited the cinema last week and met interested parties.

Manda Graham, Malvern Hills District Council's arts officer, was at the meeting with a number of town councillors and said the early signs looked good.

"Representatives from the Heritage Lottery Fund looked around the building and thought it was a wonderful asset to the town," she said.

"They have suggested the Regal would be a fantastic project for them to support."

A number of other funding groups were being approached and investment could reach a six-figure sum.

"There is funding that could potentially come from a number of bodies, including Worcestershire County Council, the Arts Council and the Elmley Arts Project," Miss Graham said.

"In terms of any grant from the Lottery Fund, there could be as much as £100,000 for the conservation of the building.".

Miss Graham has prepared a report entitled The Regal Cinema - its future outlining the options for future improvements at the Regal, including repairs to its famous mural and new sound equipment.

An application is currently being processed for a grant from the UK Film Council to buy new audio equipment

"The cinema has been closed for about two months because of the quality of the sound," Miss Graham said.

"We have applied for a £4,000 grant and we hope new equipment will be in place within three months."

District council conservation officer David Piggott said he would do everything he could to secure the Regal's continuation as a cinema.

"I would be more than happy to back up any application for grants as it strikes me as an amazing building," he said.

"I want it to see continued as a cinema. Any other use for it would see the building deteriorate."