Delight as Stafford's Gatehouse Theatre receives £4,000 in donations
Customers have donated £4,000 to Stafford's Gatehouse Theatre during the coronavirus pandemic.
Audiences in the town have been praised for supporting the theatre – despite it being shut since March.
More than 60 shows have been cancelled or postponed because of lockdown restrictions, with no date set to allow theatres to reopen.
But theatre staff said their customers had already donated £4,000 to help the venue.
The Gatehouse closed its doors on March 18 and staff were furloughed, but a group were brought back to work to process refunds until the end of May. The team are now back on furlough.
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The theatre’s sales and marketing manager, Jemma Harrison, said: “It has been lovely having a team back in the building and talking to our customers again.
"We have processed thousands and thousands of tickets, around £90,000 in refunds, £7,000 in account credit and an incredible £4,000 in donations.
"The amazing generosity of our loyal audience has really demonstrated the value of the Gatehouse Theatre in Stafford. We also are delighted that so many have told us they can’t wait to come back when we reopen.”
