THE latest stage of renovation work at Christchurch's Regent Centre has been completed after a 12 day closure.

Visitors to the centre will have noticed many changes over the past few months including more seating, improvements to the Proscenium Arch, and a new circle bar.

The latest work has seen the outdated toilets renovated and increased, with the Foyer Coffee Bar enlarged with more space and new facilities.

In total, the work will have cost around £100,000, which includes the cost of the closure.

It has been financed from the Regent Development Fund, derived from ticket sales from shows, concerts and films.

Generous donations from the public, as well as £2,500 from the Bournemouth Airport Community Fund and a £200 donation from the Twynham Forest Group of WIs, has also contributed to the fund.

Regent Centre manager, Greg Rawlings, said: “It’s been worth every penny to have these new toilets up and running for our patrons.

"Their comfort and enjoyment is of paramount importance to all of us here at the Regent.

"All of our hard work is certainly paying off, because we have just heard that we have been awarded the TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence for achieving consistently outstanding reviews from visitors to the Regent.”

Improvements started in 2014 with the installation of an extra 38 seats, to bring capacity up to 484, with 28 seats where the sound desk was originally sited.

A new pelmet and stage curtains, made by the same company who created the curtains for the latest Muppets movie, helped spruce up the famous Proscenium Arch, while LED house lights were also installed.

And the new circle bar opened earlier this year, on the mezzanine area between the Foyer and Circle.

The Regent Centre opened as the town's cinema on Boxing Day, 1931.