THE MANAGER of the Marine Theatre in Lyme Regis, who was made redundant this week, said it was a 'bolt out of the blue'.

Nigel Day, 55, who worked at the business for seven years, was notified of the decision earlier this week.

He said: "It was came as a complete surprise, like a bolt out of the blue.

"Over the last 7 years I have had the enjoyment of running over 400 shows, met and worked with some great acts and lovely volunteers.

"Recent programming by the outgoing directors has affected audience numbers and the Trust find themselves once again in financial trouble."

"They assure me they have some sort of plan to run without a manager, which should be interesting," he added.

Mr Day said he was proud of the legacy he'd left, particularly of the refurbished bar area, as evidenced by the page-long entry about him, the bar and his theatre cat TC in the Bradt Slow Dorset Guide.

He said: "I am proud to have made a consistent and positive difference to Dorset's 'West End' Theatre and in particular to have my bar makeover and TC the theatre cat - who is now also out on his ear - officially recognised in the new Bradt's travel guide to Dorset, which is not a bad note to end on.

"I wish all the theatre friends and volunteers all the very best for the future."

The move is part of a cost-cutting 'restructure' of the business, and and one other post has had its hours cut, although Mr Day is the only member of staff to be made redundant.

Tim Bell, who co-directs the theatre with Harry Long, said of their decision: "It's very, very sad that we have had to make Nigel redundant.

"He has given seven years of love and dedication to the theatre, but we are restructuring and I'm sorry to say that it's part of lots of changes to the theatre as we look to shore up what the theatre is doing."

Built as a drill hall in 1894, the building was renamed the Marine Theatre in the 1930s and was handed over to the Lyme Arts Community Trust in 2003.

The theatre was on the brink of closure several years ago but was saved by a £30,000 grant from Lyme Regis Town Council.

Trustees worked with a professional consultant, funded by West Dorset District Council, to develop a business plan to get the venue back on track.

The theatre was also the focus of a fundraising campaign in 2013, as £95,000 was needed to repair the theatre's roof and keep the building open.

Mr Bell added: "We are re-focusing the business model to ensure we can survive."

As part of changes the theatre's office is moving from the adjacent building to the Marine Theatre itself to 'create a business that is open all year round', Mr Bell said, and an artist development program is also being relaunched.

He continued: "We all are sad to see Nigel go but I can't emphasise too much what a fantastic job he has done at the theatre for a long time.

"Any redundancy is sad, but especially when it's someone who has given so much."

Community figures also expressed their thanks for Mr Day's service, and said they would be sad to see him leave.

Tony Colston, chair of the Lyme Regis business group, said: "Nigel is a great guy and I have enjoyed working with him.

"I think he has been a great asset to the Marine Theatre and I will be sorry to see him go."

Cllr Lorna Jenkin, who used to be a trustee of the theatre, said: "He is a very popular figure locally and he was very committed to his job.

"I have known him since the start am very sorry to see him go as he worked long hours and put huge effort into everything he did."