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Norwich Puppet Theatre has received a welcome present to start 2009 with a £10,000 award.

The grant will go towards shows at the venue and providing a base for outreach activities in schools and community groups, which includes puppet making workshops and various talks and demonstrations about puppetry.Ìý

Funding entertainment

"Since the loss of the Arts Council core funding in April 2008, we have successfully been trading on short-term transitional funding. However, we are now looking to 2009 and beyond," said Ian Woods, general manager of the Norwich Puppet Theatre.

"The award from the Geoffrey Watling Charity is a great boost to our fundraising efforts and goes towards the £45,000 'hole' left by the Arts Council's cut.

"The award from GWC will help in applications to other trusts and foundations, as it shows the range of organisations that are supporting the Theatre," he added.

The Geoffrey Watling Charity

The Geoffrey Watling Charity, named after the president and former chairman of Norwich City FC, was established in 1993 and it distributes grants to projects that merit financial support throughout Norfolk and the Waveney District of Suffolk.

The charity has previously helped the Norwich Playhouse and Norwich Theatre Royal with its funding.