Praise for community volunteers
Irish comedian Jimmy Cricket was impressed by a festival centre in Market Drayton which is owned and run by the local community.
The Festival Drayton Centre hosts dance classes, martial arts, adult educational courses, a licensed coffee shop and a state-of-the-art cinema and theatre.
And Jimmy really enjoyed his visit to the north Shropshire theatre, where he performed at the weekend.
He said: “There is one paid member of staff called Glyn Jackson, who is the theatre manager. But everyone else – including the technical staff and box office staff – are all dedicated and passionate individuals who want to retain a live venue in the town of Market Drayton.”
Jimmy was especially full of praise over how the theatre is run by Glyn and was grateful for the help of Peter the technician who helped him with the running of the show.
Established in 1984, the centre underwent a major refurbishment in 2004, resulting in it becoming the Best Regional Winner of the West Midlands Market Towns Award two years later.