TOWN councillors last week gave a subdued response to a suggestion of a new cinema club for youngsters to be launched in Ilminster.

The idea was put forward as one of Ilminster Town Council's projects for possible district council funding for community forums.

A working party made up of Mayor Cllr Carol Goodall, town clerk Step-hen Fisher, and Cllrs Mark Davis and Gordon Childs, came up with three projects: pavement renovation in the Ditton Street area; re-tiling the toilet block at the Recreation Ground; and a Saturday morning cinema club.

But Deputy Mayor Cllr Margaret Excell said: "I don't want to sound negative, but we looked not that long ago at a cinema club and the idea wasn't taken up."

Cllr Davis, who suggested the idea, said: "I don't know the past reasons as to why a cinema club wouldn't work.

"The obvious venue for this would be the Warehouse Theatre, and they are happy for a children's cinema club to be held there."

Cllr Davis said it would cost about £300 per morning to hire the theatre and film equipment, and rent a film.

He said if they attracted 150 children at £2 each it would pay for the cinema club expenses.

"Until we've tried it out we won't know if it's going to be successful," he said.

"As a parent myself I know three children of the 150 would be taken up, but there are a lot of ifs and buts."

But Cllr Kim Turner said: "We've done a study on a possible cinema club before and it didn't come out very well.

"The cost is considerable. We'd have to get a lot of youngsters and we'd need to have the required security checks for supervising adults.

"Many nearby cinemas already run special deals for children on a Saturday morning."

Cllr Carol Goodall suggested that the cinema club proposal should be carried out on a trial basis in the first instance.