BRYNMAWR’S Market Hall Cinema will re-open after being handed over to a local community group.

The historic cinema, which opened in 1890, closed after Blaenau Gwent council withdrew funding in March from the Brynmawr landmark.

The council handed over the cinema yesterday to the newly formed Market Hall Brynmawr Community Group, a combination of the previous Save our Cinema and Market Hall Cinema Trust groups.

Council officers said they worked closely with members of the community to find a different way to retain the cinema, which the council could no longer afford to maintain.

It is reopening tomorrow after a three-week closure while essential maintenance works took place.

Spokesman for the group, Peter Watkins-Hughes said: "It's a very exciting time for us. We signed the documents yesterday and we re-open tomorrow with special preview showings of Despicable Me 2.

"This is Wales' oldest continuously running cinema, and apart from a few nights at Christmas it has shown films for since 1890. We are very pleased the cinema is to stay."

The cinema will now boast a new HD screen and digital projector, and volunteers are working hard getting it ready to re-open tomorrow.

In March angry protesters walked out of a Blaenau Gwent Council meeting in disgust after councillors voted in favour of approving the 2013/14 budget which would close the Market Hall Cinema.

During the meeting around 50 of the protesters filled the public gallery and watched as the council voted to pass the proposed budget.

At the time, council leader Hedley McCarthy said: “We do not want to close anything, but we are trying to recover from a £4 million shortfall in funding.

“We have already had a couple of parties express interest. We do not see this as the end."