The Leatherhead Theatre Play Your Part campaign is now going strong, with many people and businesses wondering what they can do to help. This week LUKE BISHOP talks to some of the generous businesses and individuals who have already chosen to back the campaign. He also reveals a few tips and ideas for anyone thinking about getting involved.

Reaching out to those in need, particularly the young, is something that is high on the Leatherhead Theatre's agenda.

Now, thanks to the generosity of a family-run Leatherhead business, it has just launched an education and outreach programme to do that.

The windfall comes courtesy of the Wates Group, which is based in Station Road, Leatherhead, a building company founded by Edward Wates in 1897 and still run by the same family.

Last month the company donated £40,000 to the Leatherhead Theatre to set up its education and community outreach department over the next three years.

Brian Wheelwright, the director of the Wates Foundation, which donates money to charities based in the area, said: "The funding from the business has always been based around helping people who are described as deprived, distressed or disadvantaged and increasingly that happens through organisations.

"You need to locate the platforms through which this is delivered for communities and that needs to be through schools, hospitals and increasingly things like community theatres."

He added: "When we started to look locally in Leatherhead the theatre was a very obvious place to go to, given that it is going through this development and looking to reach out to the community."

The new department is headed up by Sally McCormack, from the Matrix Theatre company, who is certainly wasting no time in reaching out to the people of Leatherhead.

On the agenda for coming months is going to local schools to use theatre to help raise awareness of issues such as bullying, cyber bullying and mental health problems such as schizophrenia.

She explained: "We want to get the community back into the theatre and we are doing this through schemes like the youth theatre on Saturdays."

As a sign of the theatre wanting to reach out to young people, it will be meeting teachers from local schools on June 25 to ask them what they want from it.

The disadvantaged are also high on the agenda and from June 9 the department will be providing a six-week course for Surrey Young Carers.

This will provide drama lessons for young people, aged under 18, who have to look after a family member suffering from a disability or long-term illness.

Speaking of the grant given by Wates, Ms McCormack said: "They have really given us something to work with.

"Once the ball starts rolling it gives us the funding we need to carry on and when we find out what the teachers want we can start offering that service.

"Hopefully it will snowball from here and more people will come on board and offer funding.

"I think it is the start of great things to come."

Another prime example of how a small business can help the theatre is set by Italian restaurant Vecchia Trattoria in High Street, Leatherhead.

Ever since the business first opened in 2004 it has helped promote the theatre as the place to go for an evening out in Leatherhead.

The restaurant has done this through schemes such as giving a 10 per cent discount for friends of the theatre eating at the restaurant, including cast and crew as well as the audience.

The restaurant has also recently donated £1,000 to the Leatherhead Theatre as part of the Play Your Part campaign.

Susan Leveritt, the marketing director for the restaurant, said: "We thought that they could use the it and that if other people knew about it they would do the same."If you think about it the theatre provides so much enrichment to Leatherhead.

"Leatherhead is a fantastic place and we are trying to keep what we have and make it better."

The restaurant has even put a bold sign in its window urging customers, passers-by and other businesses to help support the Play Your Part campaign.

Mrs Leveritt added: "I think it is wonderful that the Advertiser is doing this campaign."

How can you play your part?

Sponsoring a seat is one of the best ways in which you can help the Leatherhead Theatre and let everyone else know about it.

One of the Thorndike Theatre's original employees is doing just that, playing her part by sponsoring a seat in memory of her parents.

Kay Angell, 60, of Kennel Lane, Fetcham, was employed as a publicity assistant at the Thorndike Theatre when it first opened – working under publicity officer Peter Harloch.

Speaking of the early years of the theatre she said: "It was a brilliant time and the theatre was at the heart of the town.

"In those days the theatre opening was one of the biggest things to happen in Leatherhead for decades."

Ms Angell's parents, Don and Beryl, who lived in Ashtead, were also keen supporters of the theatre and paid the £100 needed to name a seat after them during the original theatre campaign.

She now intends to spend £250 to rename the same seat in their name as part of the current Leatherhead Theatre campaign.

She said: "My parents died in 2006 and 2007 and I think it would be a lovely memorial to them to keep the seat in their name."

She added: "My parents were avid theatre-goers and they used to go to the Thorndike all the time.

"It was one of their favourite places so I feel this is very appropriate."

Ms Angell says she still regularly goes to the Theatre and endorsed the Advertiser's campaign to help it back on its feet.

To find out more about how to name a seat, contact the manager, Mike Forestier-Walker, on 01372 365130.

Anything you can donate?

Whether it is costumes, furniture or props, anything that you don't need or want could be useful to the theatre.

Thanks to the Running Horse pub, in Bridge Street, Leatherhead, visitors to the theatre's bar can be entertained by the tinkling of ivories.

Landlord Ron Huddlestone donated a piano from the pub after a visit from artistic director Simon Fielder.

Mr Huddlestone said: "The piano was in the pub but we couldn't use it. We just wanted to give it to someone who could and Simon was in having lunch and said that he could do with a new one up at the theatre.

"We also did the catering for Sir Michael Caine's reception up there last year."

He added: "It is still great to have a theatre there in the town."

The piano was moved with the help of Englishman's Castle, a furniture shop next door to the theatre, which goes out of its way to help the theatre.

Company director Linda Foti said: "We do lots of little things for the theatre, we lend them furniture for productions and that sort of thing.

"Often one of the production team will come down and say 'can I borrow a coffee table and two chairs' or whatever they need.

"It is important because when the theatre was unoccupied for all those years it was a big loss to the town and to Church Street and to us as well as we are next door to them.

"The fact that they are open every evening and day brings people into the town that have to walk past our front windows."

Come along

The Leatherhead Theatre will be holding an open meeting later this month to explain how people can play their part.

Antonia Wilson, the theatre's community development manager, is encouraging friends and members to get involved with the life of the theatre and has organised open meetings on Tuesday, June 23 at 10am and 6pm.

She said: "At the Leatherhead Theatre we are having an excellent response from Friends who are keen to become more involved in the life of the theatre.

"Momentum is building through the Advertiser's wonderfully supportive campaign and we would welcome everyone who would like to know how they can 'play their part' to join us."

To find out more, contact Antonia on 01372 365122 or e-mail antonia@the-theatre.org