Community grant ensures Cinderella shall go to the ball!
Published: Thu 27th February, 2025
Photo shows the cast of Birstall Theatre Company's production of Cinderella with Councillor Liz Blackshaw, Charnwood Borough Council's lead member for communities and neighbourhoods.
Birstall Theatre Company marked their fifth anniversary by putting on a special production of Cinderella – with a bit of help from Charnwood Borough Council’s Community Grants scheme.
The amateur dramatics group received a £1,000 grant towards the production costs for their community pantomime.
The dedicated cast and crew – led by creative directors Liz and Rebecca Valentine - put on four performances over three days during the February half-term break, at the Palmer Tomkinson Centre at Cedars Academy in Birstall.
Councillor Liz Blackshaw, Charnwood Borough Council’s lead member for communities and neighbourhoods, said: "We are delighted to support Birstall Theatre Company through the Charnwood Community Grants scheme.
“Local groups like this play a vital role in bringing people together, teaching them valuable skills that they can take forward into other areas of their life. It fosters creativity and helps in making the arts accessible to everyone.
“It’s fantastic to see the group celebrating its fifth anniversary with such a wonderful production, and we’re proud to help make it happen."
Sonia Sherriff, Birstall Theatre Company secretary, said: "We are so grateful for the funding from Charnwood Borough Council, which helped us bring this magical pantomime to life. It makes such a huge difference – it has helped massively, and we really appreciate it.
“Support like this means so much to community theatre groups like ours, enabling us to continue creating memorable performances for local people.
“Cinderella was a huge success, and it was incredible to see the community come together to enjoy the show.
“We’re always looking for support and sponsorship to ensure we can make this a sustainable company and keep going for another five years.”
Anyone interested in supporting or joining Birstall Theatre Company can email btcpanto@hotmail.com or message @birstalltheatrecompany on Instagram.
The Council offers a wide range of community grants to voluntary and community sector organisations across Charnwood, awarding tens of thousands of pounds each year to support groups and projects.
More information on Charnwood Community Grants
If you would like to be notified about when the grant rounds are open for applications in future, please email: VCSupport@charnwood.gov.uk