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Haverhill Arts Centre is on course to achieve its budgeted target for this financial year despite suffering its toughest period so far in 2009.

Haverhill Town Councillors heard from arts and leisure manager Nick Keeble the period from April to September 2009 had been very difficult.

"It was the toughest period we have ever had," he said, "but since then audiences have been strong all through."

The centre had budgeted for a significant loss of cinema ticket revenue caused by the arrival of Cineworld in town, but has managed to find a growing film audience through branching out into a more varied cinema programme.

"We have done it by varying the programme, being a bit brave to see what works and what doesn't," Mr Keeble told members of the council's leisure and arts committee, which includes members of St Edmundsbury Borough Council as well as the town council.

Mr Keeble said they had built a 'small-ish, but growing core audience' for art house, documentaries, classics and foreign language films.

They recently launched a club called Reel Culture for people who love film and it had topped 40 members in its first month.

"We are very pleased by the way it has beenm received," said Mr Keeble.

But he admitted the first year of operation of Cineworld had had a significant effect on the Arts Centre.

"We have taken a hit on the cinema front," he said. "Some of our audience have gone over the road to see the sorts of films we had been showing."

The Arts Centre's live programme had picked up considerably towards the end of 2009 and into 2010, he said, and the centre was on course to come in aroun its budget.

The December 2009 pantomime Cinderella had been very successful, with 97 per cent of seats sold.

"We have built the audience to such a level that we will be looking to a new and larger-scale company for this year, and put on more performances," Mr Keeble said.

A comedy club has been formed at the Arts Centre for evenings from up-and-coming comedians, with the first one attracting an encouraging audience of 85.

The centre had booked a visit from Thunderbirds icon Sylvia Anderson, but her tour had been cancelled, and they had been fortunate to replace it with a visit from top jazz musician Courtney Pine.

For the first time the centre had broken the £20 ticket price barrier, and the show was already almost sold out, which Mr Keeble said showed it could be done.

Town clerk Gordon Mussett pointed out that although the recession had had a detrimental effect in that people did not go out so much, there was the benefit that bigger named acts were now prepared to look at smaller venues and negotiate over fees.

Mr Mussett said: "Cineworld have had a hard year as well as we have. But there are signs the town economy has begun to pick up."