An independent cinema is embarking on the final stage of its current expansion - bringing much-needed toilets to the foyer.

Abbeygate Cinema in Hatter Street in Bury St Edmunds has been undergoing a huge refurbishment project, including the addition of a 180-seater premier screen.

The cinema is now starting a three-month fundraising drive to help raise money for the next part of its development, with building work expected to be around £40,000.

East Anglian Daily Times: Abbeygate Cinema legend Pat Church will be welcoming and chatting with guests at a special red carpet event.Abbeygate Cinema legend Pat Church will be welcoming and chatting with guests at a special red carpet event. (Image: Sarah Lucy Brown)

Regular visitors at the cinema will no doubt have seen the area allocated for toilets in the foyer and the beautiful architecture waiting to be sympathetically restored, said Andrea Holmes, marketing manager at Abbeygate Cinema.

The venue is hosting an event on Saturday, September 25, in aid of the fundraising efforts and as a belated premier screen launch event.

There will be a special screening of popular big screen musical film, La La Land, starring Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone, as part of an evening of glitz and glamour with dinks and canapés on arrival.

East Anglian Daily Times: Gareth Boggis, general manager of the Abbeygate Cinema in Bury St Edmunds.Gareth Boggis, general manager of the Abbeygate Cinema in Bury St Edmunds. (Image: Abbeygate Cinema)

Resident cinema legend, Pat Church, will be on hand to welcome and chat with guests who will be encouraged to dress smartly for the occasion to bring a ‘red carpet’ feel to the event.

Gareth Boggis, the cinema’s general manager, said the fundraising idea came from customers who wanted to help after "a long and challenging 18 months".

He said: "Like many businesses, we have been through difficult and uncertain times in recent months but it’s with great excitement that we’re able to plan our next steps into the future.’’

East Anglian Daily Times: Taken after the completion of 'phase one' of the Abbeygate Cinema expansion.Taken after the completion of 'phase one' of the Abbeygate Cinema expansion. (Image: RACHEL EDGE)

He added: "We’re so fortunate that there is such a sense of community and family around Abbeygate."

The Building Blocks fundraising project will be reinstated and there will be a raffle with tickets from £10, giving people the chance to win the top prize of a private screening.

As part of Building Blocks, there is the opportunity for those donating more than £50 to have their name featured on the walls on the building.

East Anglian Daily Times: The refurbishment when 'phase one' of the Abbeygate Cinema expansion was completed.The refurbishment when 'phase one' of the Abbeygate Cinema expansion was completed. (Image: RACHEL EDGE)

Gareth said Building Blocks proved hugely popular before and "gave our loyal and supportive customers a chance to really be part of the fabric of the building".

He added: "Whilst this is the end of the current project which has seen the building transformed with the new screen and foyer, we remain ambitious and there are plans for expanding further at a future date.

"The focus now though is on having the best possible end to the year, with a whole raft of blockbusters waiting behind the eagerly anticipated No Time to Die."