The Market Hall Cinema in Brynmawr, Wales’s oldest cinema and the only cinema in Blaenau Gwent, has been named as the winner of the Consumer Facing Social Enterprise Award at the Social Business Wales Awards.

The cinema became a community-owned venue in 2013, and from the start was determined to be self-sustainable, with a clear focus on selling ‘seats and sweets’.

This simple proposition, couple with drive and ambition, has seen turnover increase by more than 600 per cent since becoming community owned, and the cinema now provides a valuable, accessible and diverse service to its community.

The Culture and Leisure Award was won by Torfaen Leisure Trust.

The trust manages five leisure and fitness facilities across Torfaen, including swimming pools, sports halls, climbing centres and ski slopes. This service is especially vital in Torfaen where 60 per cent of the population are overweight or obese compared to 55 per cent across all Wales.

The trust employs 110 full-time equivalent staff, rising to 400 with seasonal staff, and since it took over the service, has significantly exceeded its income targets. Most importantly, it has seen a 27 per cent rise in physical activity visits to just over a million per year.

Organised by the Social Business Wales project, which is delivered by the Wales Co-operative Centre, the awards are mainly funded by the European Regional Development Fund and Welsh Government. This year, the Award categories have been sponsored by Acuity, BIC Innovation, Charity Bank, Hugh James, Landsker Business Solutions, Legal & General and NatWest, with additional support from the WCVA.

Winners will now go forward to compete with their counterparts from Scotland, England and Northern Ireland at a UK Awards ceremony being held in central London in November.