A MOBILE cinema providing access to films in rural communities has celebrated a major milestone.

Okehampton Moving Pictures put on its 250th show on October 10, with a screening at Zeal Monachorum Village Hall.

The group was set up shortly after the closure of the old Carlton Cinema in 2003. At first the group screened films once a fortnight in the Charter Hall. When the New Carlton Cinema opened in December 2006, the OMP became a mobile cinema, taking films to the village halls around the area. The group is run by volunteers, who give up their time to bring cinema to a wider audience.

Over the eight years OMP has been running, films have been shown to a total estimated audience of 8,837 people in over 32 different venues. Films ranging from very early classic silent movies of the 1920s to recent releases on DVD have been shown in venues ranging from large halls to smaller venues that seat around 30 people.

The varying venues bring their own challenges to the group, each creating their own unique acoustics, which has to be overcome.

In September, OMP screened six films in Chagford as part of the second Chagford Film Festival, including the Chagford Filmmaking Group's 'The Laidley Worm of Spindleston Heugh', and 2008 smash-hit musical Mamma Mia.

Don Badger, joint chairman of the Chagford Film Festival committee, said: 'We owe a big thank you to OMP for doing such a superb job at the festival again. People have remarked to me how the group just come in and get on with the job in an extremely professional way without any fuss. It's brilliant and gives such a fantastic service to the community.'

Okehampton Moving Pictures is always keen to find more volunteers to help with their screenings, which generally take place in the evening. To find out more, call Tony on 07812 955980 or visit http://www.okehamptonmovingpictures.com">www.okehamptonmovingpictures.com