A Workington theatre group found themselves under the threat of closure if an ageing structure on the stage was not replaced.

Theatre goers at the Theatre Royal can now breathe a sigh of relief as another hundred years of attendance at the building has been secured with the installation of a new flying grid.

Funding for the £42,000 project was obtained from Garfield-Weston, Allerdale Borough Council, The Hadfield Trust and £12,000 from the theatre themselves.

Pat Brinicombe, from Theatre Royal said: "Help with funding was of paramount importance because it had been described as unsafe and that could have resulted in enforced closure of the theatre. Here we are hopefully good with another hundred years of theatre."

The flying grid sits above the stage and is used for storing cloths which display painted scenes to compliment the content of the play, musical or pantomime that is showing.

The theatre's previous grid dated back to 1860 and had been deemed to be a risk due to its age.

Pat said: "Many theatres do not have them anymore, but because ours had been installed in 1860 and made of wood and rumoured that the beams were old ships timbers, it had become a health and safety risk."

She said it was originally the intention to have the wooden grid restored and the Heritage Lottery were approached for help, but they did not qualify for funding because the flying grid could not be restored and had to be replaced by a metal structure and in accordance with health and safety.

Pat's husband, Geoff Brinicombe, project managed the installation, which was fitted by local business McGuckin Audio and Lighting.

He said: "The flying grid is constructed from global truss aluminium which is used by many groups now over both internal and external staging for the performing arts."

The aluminium structure, which includes new stage curtains, was chosen over a traditional heavyweight steel installation as it is flexible, lightweight and very strong and approximately a third of the cost of a solid steel structure.

"The principle of a flying grid uses a system of pulleys and winches for raising and lowering the heavy lighting bars. There are eight other bars which can be used for suspending cloths, curtains, back cloths, borders and scenery in general", Geoff said.

"It is believed that the Theatre Royal is one of only two theatres left in Cumbria with this age old tower feature and therefore quite unique," he added.

The theatre are grateful to their funders for giving them the opportunity to replace the flying grid and say they will be the envy of many theatres in the North of England who no longer have this kind of enhancement.

They say this will not only benefit the Playgoer productions but other user groups who use the Theatre Royal.