Meet the Leeds cinema owner who saved one of the UK's oldest cinemas from closure- and was awarded an MBE
A Leeds cinema owner who has recently been awarded an MBE has shared the story of how he and his wife saved a much-loved venue from closure more than 20 years ago.
At 113 years old, the Cottage Road Cinema in Headingley is one of the oldest cinemas in the UK.
But in the summer of 2005, its future was in jeopardy. Staff had been issued redundancy notices and Cottage Road Cinema was set to close until Charles Morris, alongside his late wife Judy stepped in to save the day.
“My wife and I went over on a sunny Saturday afternoon in July and we spoke to the owner,” Charles told the Yorkshire Evening Post.
“We did a deal that was so last minute, the early editions of the Yorkshire Evening Post had it that the cinema was closing that day and the later editions had it as it had been saved.
“We signed the paperwork with the owner next door and two hours later we were showing films there.”
Under Charles and Judy’s renewed ownership, the first film Cottage Road Cinema showed was Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and since then has continued to thrive.
Charles’ own interest in cinema began as a young child when went to his local cinema to see Lady and the Tramp, a film that he became “totally absorbed” by.
Later, a chance encounter at nine-years-old allowed Charles to see what creates the movie magic, an experience he said “absolutely amazed” him.
Charles said: “The cinema in my hometown of Holylake on the Wirral had been closed for 16 months and it had reopened this particular week. I went round to the cinema to check what time the programme started and I saw the projectionist in the car park burning some old film.
“I got talking to him and asked if I could see the projection room and he took me up there. There were two projectors and they were absolutely enormous. They were bigger than me.
“I spent the best years of my youth for better or worse in the background of that cinema, learning how to project the film and doing odd jobs around the place. Eventually, when I was in my late teens, I was actually employed to run films when they hadn’t other projectionists available.”
Charles’ passion for cinema endured while he studied an engineering degree at University College London and took a job in that field.
However, it was his wife Judy who convinced him to make a change in his thirties and become a full-time cinema proprietor.
“My wife could see that this was what I really wanted to do and she actually encouraged and helped me do it,” Charles said.
“If it hadn't been for her, I’m not sure it would have ever happened.”
They began by running a two-month season of films at the Victoria Hall in Settle. From then, Charles, with Judy by his side, went on to start running six different cinemas including the Picture House in Keighley and Plaza in Skipton, alongside Headingley’s Cottage Road Cinema.
In the 2026 New Year’s Honours List, Charles was awarded an MBE for “Services to Cinema in the North of England”, an achievement he said feels “elating”.
“I wasn't expecting it. In fact when the paperwork came through I thought somebody was having a joke to begin with,” Charles said.
“This is very gratifying. I’ve been involved in cinemas in one way or another for 65 years and it's nice to be recognised after this time.”
For Charles, it also feels poignant that the award came two months after the passing of his wife Judy, who gave up her career as a maths teacher, to become a co-director of Northern Morris Cinemas Ltd.
According to Charles, technical innovation has created a threat for cinema for generations.
“Films were kept away from television for about 15 years, then it came down to five years, then one year, six months, and now films are getting onto streaming channels or TV within a matter of a few weeks.”
However, Charles believes cinema offers something TV, DVDs, and even streaming services can’t recreate: an in-person experience.
“What we have to do is sell the experience as well as the film.
“You get a better atmosphere in a cinema when you’ve got a lot of people around you. The mere fact you’ve got company is very different from watching a film at home.
“We add the showmanship effects of the film; the music, the lights dimming, the curtains opening. All of that adds to the experience.”