The Regent Centre is situated in the middle of Christchurch High Street and is the cinema, theatre, concert hall, art gallery and entertainment centre serving Christchurch, East Dorset and the New Forest. The Regent opened on Boxing Day 1931 as the town’s cinema, a role it retained until July 1973, when it was closed and then re-opened as the Mecca Social and Bingo Club. The final cry of ‘house’ was sounded in February 1982. The need for an arts centre in Christchurch had already been well established in the town and in November 1982, Christchurch Borough Council purchased the Regent. A unique relationship was formed between the local authority and a group of over 100 enthusiastic volunteers. Together, they lovingly restored the Regent to all its early Art Deco glory. The Regent Centre in its present form was finally opened on June 11th 1983 by the actress Dora Bryan. Today, the Regent Centre is one of the finest examples of an early 1930s cinema to survive in Britain. Its 509 seats are regularly filled for events as diverse as the latest film releases to professional touring theatre, jazz, big band, ballet, opera and celebrity star shows. The Regent is also the home venue for many local amateur companies, who regularly stage productions at the Centre.