A BLACK cab driver is soon to realise his long-standing ambition of setting up his own outdoor cinema.

Roy McKinney, of Belgrave Road, Wanstead, has been wanting to host his own outdoor cinema since he first went to one in Victoria Park, Hackney, around six years ago.

The 44-year-old said: “When I first went to an outdoor cinema I just thought the atmosphere was so much nicer than traditional ones indoors.

“I really don’t like these big chains where you queue up for bad food, the tickets are too expensive and they only seem to put on generic films.

“Since then as my own personal challenge, I have been determined to bring an outdoor cinema to Wanstead.”

After moving back to the area at the beginning of the year and getting married to his wife Narzny in May, Mr McKinney got to work on securing Christchurch Green as a venue for his new cinema pop up.

Using his spare time spent sitting in taxi ranks around London, he organised council permission, screen and projector hire.

He added: “When I get something in my head and I set out to do it, I just have to see it through.

“When the App Store first got big about six or seven years ago, I created my own taxi app just to see if I could do it.

“I lived in Wanstead for seven years before I moved away and I feel like I know it better than any other area in east London, I think it’s going to go down really well.

"The big companies who do outdoor cinema seem to have missed east London completely, so there's literally a gap in the market for it."

Wanstead's bank holiday cinema weekend will kick off with Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone on Friday, August 26, followed by Casablanca on Saturday and Shaun of the Dead on Sunday.

Taking inspiration from high street dining hotspots like The Manor House and The Ginger Pig, Mr McKinney and his wife will be serving their cinema goers burgers, hotdogs and “the best veggie curry in town”.

The couple are calling on the rest of the community to support the event in the hope of bringing it to other parks in the borough in the future.

Mr McKinney added: “This year is just a taster. If it goes well we’ll do it again, so it’s really a case of use it or you lose it.

“This is a one-weekend only event, so come, chill out and enjoy your favourite films outside.”

Tickets for the 8.30pm screenings on Christchurch Green on August 26, 27 and 28 are £11 each.

For more information, see the website.