A theatre club has received a boost in the form of a generous £1,000 donation.

Bridport’s Encore Theatre Club has been gifted the donation from Symondsbury Players, which redistributed funds following the closure of its accounts.

Symondsbury Players recently disbanded, deciding not to continue with its proud and rich tradition of performances.

Over the years the group has entertained audiences with a variety of plays including farce, drama and one act plays.

A former treasurer of the Symondsbury club, Brian Kick, was in the audience of the latest Encore production, ‘School for Scandal’, and hatched the idea of donating some of the club’s funds to the theatre group.

Mr Kick contacted past Players and Committee Members with the idea of the donation.

It was then unanimously agreed to give a £1,000 donation to Encore.

The group also donated £500 each to Weldmar Hospicecare and the Dorset & Somerset Air Ambulance Charity.

Members of the Encore Theatre Club said they were especially touched by this kind gift, as they have a shared history, with numerous Symondsbury performers going on to join Encore, many of whom still perform with them today.

John Haylock, co-chairman of the Encore Theatre Club, said, “Over many years have been hugely entertained by the quality of drama for which the players were known.”

He added: “We were immensely touched by the gesture and appreciative of the kind contribution of £1,000.

“This will help us enormously as we face the increasingly expensive production costs amidst the continuing uncertainty accompanying Covid 19.”

As in many areas of society, theatre has had to find ways of adapting over the past few months during the pandemic.

Over the lockdown period, Encore has been working on a film consisting of monologues their members have written and then filmed in their own homes.

The project, which will be released online shortly, even includes some former Symondsbury Players members.