A SCHEME offering youngsters a family film on weekends is proving a sell-out.

Staff at the Empire Theatre in Consett, which houses the region's largest cinema screen, are having to turn away parents and children from its Saturday Movie Club.

With admission £1, the project has been a huge success - for the past three weeks there has not been a spare seat at any of the screenings.

Steve Howell, head of leisure services at Derwentside District Council, said: "It is unheard of for an independent cinema to be turning people away on a weekly basis.

"It is a quite incredible success and something we are pretty proud of."

The project runs in tandem at the Lamplight Arts Centre in Stanley, with the movies regularly attracting more than 100 people.

Derwentside Leisure, which runs the scheme, has won a £1,400 grant from Northern Film and Media to further promote the club.

The cinema also secured a preview of the Easter blockbuster, The Cat in the Hat, and will be showing it over the next two weeks, along with the movie club features.

Tickets can be booked in advance. For further details, contact the Empire on (01207) 218171, or the Lamplight on 218899.

The Saturday Movie Club for youngsters shows Kangaroo Jack at the Empire Theatre, Consett, this weekend, while Rugrats Go Wild is at the Lamplight Arts Centre.