A community theatre in Wrexham has praised the vital support it has received via a generous donation.
Theatr y Stiwt, in Rhos, has thanked the trustees of Bethania Baptist Chapel for a substantial donation after the closure of the well-loved Rhos chapel.
"It's wonderful that the kind trustees of Capel Bethania have made this donation from their proceeds," said Stiwt chair Brian Jones.
"It's a huge job to keep a charity like the Stiwt going. Despite the pandemic, the Stiwt's day-to-day maintenance has continued, thanks mainly to local support."
Proceeds from the sale of Bethania Chapel, Church Street Rhos, have been donated to the Stiwt Theatre.
A surplus of 'Rhos Theatre' stage weights were sold to the public as Stiwt memorabilia, raising £3,500. The Stiwt's Board of Trustees also successfully applied for a CADW grant of £3,750, enabling repairs to be carried out to a leaking roof.
A security audit of the auditorium revealed the need for new ropes in the fly tower and the replacement of obsolete emergency exit lights.
In October 2020, the Stiwt was selected as the local Co-op cause. Co-op members could choose the Stiwt as their local cause, and then 1% of all Co-op branded goods would go to the Stiwt. The theatre received £4,122 from this, which enabled the replacement of the ropes and emergency lighting.
Work on water damage above the stage at the Stiwt Theatre in Rhos.
A JustGiving page set up at the start of the pandemic - justgiving.com/fundraising/stiwt-theatre - raised £2,093, which enabled the heater condenser in the chair store to be relocated to an outside cage, and the upgrading of the theatre's wifi.
Essential work in the auditorium has also been carried out. Water stains and flaking of the paint on the stage wall were visible to the audience, and a specialist conservation team has now dealt with this problem.
Thanks to the generous donation from the trustees of Capel Bethania, the next phase of essential work, the replacement of external doors and the painting and repair of windows, can now start ahead of schedule.
Other charities to benefit from the chapel sale are Rhos Aelwyd Football Juniors, Rhos Rugby Juniors, Salvation Army and Community Café's Food Bank.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here