Snubbed

I was accompanied by York MP Hugh Bayley and town crier John Redpath, on the trip to London to hand senior Odeon chiefs the petition containing an incredible 13,600 signatures. But the front door of their headquarters, just off Leicester Square, was as far as we were allowed to get.

On arrival at the headquarters in Whitcomb Street yesterday, we buzzed the intercom and asked if the new chief executive, Ian Pluthero, or another senior manager, would receive our petition.

A woman at the other end told us to wait outside while she made inquiries.

Fifteen minutes later we had still heard nothing, so Mr Bayley again buzzed the intercom and told the woman we had been "standing there like lemons" for too long and asked for someone to come down.

After another ten minutes on the doorstep we were told there was no one "in authority" available to take the petition, but we could "push it through the letterbox".

We refused and stressed that out of respect for the thousands who had signed it, we would only deliver it by hand.

Five minutes later a woman, who refused to give her name or role, came to the door and after asking what we wanted, agreed to pass on the petition to Mr Pluthero, along with a letter from the editor of the Evening Press, Kevin Booth. Mr Redpath - dubbed the "voice of Yorkshire" - said he was "upset" by our treatment as it was "an insult to the people of York".

He later rang his bell and ceremonially announced our campaign message outside the famous Odeon Cinema in Leicester Square, which was preparing to hold a glittering premiere of the forthcoming blockbuster, Starsky & Hutch.

Days earlier we had twice contacted Odeon to arrange a convenient time to hand over the petition in London. But astonishingly a spokeswoman said it was "not company policy" to accept petitions by hand and said we must post it.

Mr Bayley said he was "disappointed" a senior manager would not accept the petition.

"I'm sure Mr Pluthero will acknowledge he has received the forms," he said.

"He should get back in touch with the people who have signed it to tell them what his plans are for the cinema."

Meanwhile, on the GNER train back to York we caught up with Tory firebrand Anne Widdecombe, who was on her way to a speaking engagement in Pocklington. She agreed to support our campaign, saying: "I think every town should have its own cinema. It's an entertainment facility that everyone can enjoy whether you are young or old."

Kevin Booth said: "We are hugely disappointed that the Odeon chose to snub the Evening Press, the views of more than 13,600 readers and the city's MP. Surely the number of signatures gathered during this tremendously successful campaign is a strong indicator of the depth of feeling for this institution.

"All we were asking was for the Odeon management to spare a few moments to acknowledge the concern of our readers for such an important facility in our city."

Updated: 10:24 Friday, March 12, 2004