IT was never Howard Stone's aim to become a hero of his community - it just happened.

The unassuming 64-year-old (pictured) was thrust into the full glare of the public spotlight when he took on the task of attempting to restore one of his town's best-loved buildings - and ended up championing the cause on national television.

But when Howard took on the task of chairing the Friends of Newbridge Memo group last year, he could have had no idea of the ambassador he would need to become.

He agreed to the role following a public meeting in the town 18 months ago, when the town's strength of feeling about the glorious but run-down former dance hall and cinema that is the Memo became obvious.

Three hundred people attended the meeting and the unanimous opinion was that it must be saved.

Howard smiles as he recalls agreeing to become chairman of a group who would later achieve fame on BBC2's Restoration programme as they battled to win the Memo a £3 million prize.

"When I take something on I like to give it my all. If I can't do it properly, I would rather not do it," he says.

That principle certainly applied to his campaign for the Memo, though he is quick to give the credit to Jen, his wife of 41 years, his three children, the rest of his family and all the other friends and locals who worked so hard for the Memo.

As the final approached, the work took up every waking hour, with thousands of postcards to be handed out and hugely popular open days and events to be organised.

Even though Newbridge eventually lost out - coming a narrow second to Birmingham in the programme, the fight to restore the Memo goes on and a meeting is already arranged for next week to decide the way forward.

Howard was born in Treowen in 1940 and brought up in Newbridge, the son of a fireman who fought blazes in towns hit by bombing during the Second World War.

"I remember very little about the war, only vague memories of my father going away to fight fires in Coventry and Birmingham and Bristol," he says.

Howard attended Crumlin High Level School and then went to technical college in Pontllanfraith - but achieved no qualifications because he contracted tuberculosis as a teenager and had to spend a year in hospitals at Tredegar, Talgarth and Sully.

"I was in Talgarth in the winter of 1955 - it was the first time in the history of the hospital that they actually had to shut the windows because of the extreme cold.

"I cried for a week when I first got there and I wouldn't eat either. But after that I never looked back."

Howard recovered and became a blacksmith's assistant at Celynen South Colliery, but soon began pursuing his aim of getting into the fire service.

"Because of my insistence they gave me a medical and to their surprise I passed it - I believe I was the only man in Britain to pass their medical after having had TB," he says.

He worked first as a part-time officer in Newbridge and later got a job as a fire prevention officer at Alcan in Rogerstone. In 1970 he joined Pearl Insurance and stayed with the company until he took early retirement in 1995.

In the meantime, however, the Memo played a very important role in Howard's life.

He vividly remembers being taken to see films by his elder sister when he was around seven years of age and later went to dances there. And it was at the Memo that he met Jen in 1959 - the couple were married three years later.

They have a son Jonathan who now lives in London, and two daughters, Liz, who is still in Newbridge, and Kate, who lives in France. They also have eight grandchildren.

Howard recalls the time when the Memo closed - he believes that it was the popularity of television at the time that contributed to the decline.

"It started to go downhill in the 60s because of TV and they tried to get it going again, by having a bit of bingo there. But in 1971 the last film was shown there.

"At the time television was very new to people and people's ideas of entertainment changed - they didn't want to go out when they could sit in their own homes and watch TV.

"I think the rot set in fully when the mines closed down in the 80s and people lost their passion for the place."

It was the Newbridge Ladies Choir who first got up a petition to save the Memo and Islwyn MP Don Touhig called last year's public meeting, which began the long slog to restore the building.

"People said that it would be very difficult to get it going, that there was no community spirit," says Howard.

"But a few of us thought there was the spirit - it just needed someone to stir it up a bit. They asked me to chair the group and here I am!

"When I got a call from a production company in February, asking if we would consider being part of the Restoration programme, it took me about ten seconds to think about it!

"We had only formed the committee about eight months before and were looking at three to four years of hard slog and fundraising. This pushed it forward and it was a wonderful experience.

"It was very hard work and very tiring but in the main it was really enjoyable, all the production staff were lovely to work with."

When he found out that the Memo had been pipped at the post, during an emotional final at Hampton Court, Howard says he felt numb.

"In my mind I was sure we had won and when they announced it, I was ready to give it the big 'yes!'. When I realised, I felt numb."

But the fight to save the Memo continues - and Howard hopes it will be fully open again in time for its centenary year in 2007-08.

"We haven't lost," he says. "We have just got to pick ourselves up and get back in the ring."

l Howard's son Jonathan is bringing his band- the Monster Raving Boogie Party - to play at the Newbridge Memo on September 4. Tickets are £5 and must be purchased in advance from the Newbridge Memo on 01495 243252 or from Howard Stone on 01495 243691.