A LOCAL theatre and a hospice have teamed up behind the scenes to help bring the stage to life and raise vital funds.
A new partnership is helping Guide Bridge Theatre to source props and furniture, and support patient care at Willow Wood Hospice.
The hospice’s charity shops have supplied and transported high-quality props including tables, chairs and cabinets for shows.
By renting selected items from the shops at a much-lower cost than specialist prop hire companies, the Audenshaw theatre – run entirely by volunteers – saves money and storage space, as well as accessing unique, period-appropriate pieces.
Once the show ends, the hospice’s retail team collects the items and returns them to the shops, ready to be sold to the public.
Vicky, from the theatre’s volunteer coordinators team, has been liaising with the hospice’s retail team for several months and is excited about the new initiative.
“This partnership is a win-win,” she said. “We often need unique items to help bring our stories to life on stage — from vintage armchairs to quirky lamps. Being able to source these from Willow Wood Hospice means we can do so affordably, while also contributing to an incredibly worthwhile cause.”
Every item hired from the hospice’s shops raises vital funds that go directly towards the compassionate care and support Willow Wood provides to patients and families in Tameside and Glossop.
The partnership is supporting the theatre’s productions and helping to extend the life of pre-loved items, promoting sustainability and creative reuse.
Paul King, Willow Wood’s Warehouse and Logistics Manager, said: “We’re thrilled to be working with Guide Bridge Theatre. It’s wonderful to see our donated goods taking on a second life on stage, helping to tell meaningful stories and entertain local audiences, all while raising funds for hospice care. It’s a beautiful example of community collaboration in action.”
The next Guide Bridge Theatre production is Agatha Christie’s A Murder Is Announced, which opens on Monday, July 28, and organisers hint that several pieces sourced through the new initiative will feature prominently.