'She deserves half of it': Yorkshire cinema owner pays tribute to late wife after receiving MBE
A Yorkshire cinema owner has paid tribute to his late wife after receiving an MBE.
Charles Morris recently received his award for ‘Services to Cinema in the North of England’ from the Princess Royal at a recent ceremony at Windsor Castle.
He currently operates five cinemas in Yorkshire and Cumbria, including the Picture House in Keighley, Plaza cinema in Skipton, the Rex Cinema in Elland and the Cottage Road Cinema in Headingley, Leeds.
“It is a great honour to receive the award after all these years but it is so sad that my late wife Judy, who surely deserves half of it, missed the announcement by two months,” he said.
Mr Morris initially worked in industry while also being a part-time projectionist in 15 cinemas up and down the country before embarking on his first venture, a two-month season of films at the Victoria Hall, Settle, in 1986. This was followed by the refurbishment and reopening of the Rex cinema, Elland, in 1988. In 1992 he gave up his engineering career to take over the Royalty cinema in Bowness on Windermere.
Four years later he reopened the Picture House, Keighley, at which point his late wife Judy gave up her teaching job to help run the business.
The Plaza, Skipton, was taken over in 1998.
In 2005 Mr Morris rescued the Cottage Road cinema, Headingley, at the last minute from almost certain closure.
Similarly in 2006 he rescued the Roxy cinema, Ulverston, which was about to suffer the same fate.