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Ealing had been without a proper cinema for 15 years, despite being the home of the legendary Ealing Studios - an absolute disgrace, I hear you say! The old Empire cinema my kids grew up with finally closed its doors in 2008, so there was dancing in the high street of the "Queen of Suburbs" when a brand spanking new Picturehouse opened in late 2023. 

As soon as it opened, my dad Mo was in there like the proverbial rat up a drainpipe. He signed up for a Membership. Every week, one of us would accompany him there – I nearly said "take him there", but even at 92 years old, he led a fiercely independent life. He would jump on the E1 bus from his front door and get off at Ealing Town Hall where we would meet him. 

Mo was a complete cinephile and loved every minute of his trips to Ealing Picturehouse. It was "his cinema". He charmed all the staff, would proudly show us around and went to see films of every genre, from European arthouse to Hollywood Oscar bait. If he were here now, he would have been opining on whether Oppenheimer would pick up the most Oscars or whether it would be Barbie. Each visit was followed by a £1 flat white, a perk of his Membership there. (It's good coffee, by the way.) 

Thursday 7 December was just another of those much-looked- forward-to cinema trips. His grandson Tom met him at the Town Hall, as per usual. Their choice was Fallen Leaves, a film about an unlikely relationship between two lonely middle-aged Finns. Some might say "obscure" or "difficult", but not Mo – he lapped it up. 

After a sarnie and the aforementioned coffee, they parted at the town hall – Mo walked the 100 metres to the E1 bus stop to go home. He collapsed there with a cardiac arrest and passed away three days later, surrounded by his children. No one could have scripted a better ending for my dad. His last thoughts would have been of doing one of the things he loved best: seeing a good film with someone he loved. Who wouldn't want to "exit, stage left" like this?  

Are you a Member and want to share your Membership story with us? Email us at membership@ picturehouses.co.uk. If you're picked we'll give you five extra free tickets, so get in touch .