THE show will go on for a Chester-based youth theatre group thanks to a local housebuilder playing a supporting role.

Minerva Arts successfully applied to Redrow’s Kings Moat Garden Village Community Fund for support for Lache Youth Theatre.

Artistic director Stephanie Meskell-Brocken explained: “When we launched Lache Youth Theatre there was a lack of opportunities for young people in the area to engage with the arts.

"We provide focused activity for children and young people in the evenings. The focus is on drama, but it also helps them develop their confidence, communication and leadership skills along with their team-working and social skills.

“Originally we’d asked Redrow for funding towards venue hire, but post-Covid we used some of the grant towards adapting our sessions to be delivered online and to cover the cost of offline packs for the children to complete at home.”

Open to eight- to 14-year-olds, Lache Youth Theatre usually meets for two hours a week during term-time. Sessions are held at St Mark’s Church, less than two miles from Kings Moat Garden Village, where Redrow is building new homes.

Redrow has gifted £10,000 to good causes in the area via a voluntary community fund linked to the development.

Area sales manager Caroline Thompson-Jones said: “Groups like Lache Youth Theatre play an important role in the community. They offer a chance for children and young people to make new friends, while also providing a creative outlet and helping them learn new skills. Who knows maybe in years to come some of those who attend the sessions will have a starring role in a major production. We certainly hope so.”