A GROUP of around 200 volunteers at Pendle Hippodrome Theatre have been presented with a prestigious award.

The Colne theatre has received the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service – the highest award a voluntary group can receive in the UK.

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The group works in the community to promote public education in performing arts.

The derelict former bingo hall, in New Market Street, was bought in 1978 and spent over eight years bringing it back to its former Edwardian glory. The 498 seat theatre opened in 1986 and has been run by a dedicated team of volunteers ever since.

The group receives no outside funding and has teams that are tasked with maintenance, cleaning, wardrobe and other duties.

Chairman of Pendle Hippodrome Theatre Ltd, Kevin Mason, said: “We were all delighted when we received notification of the nomination for this year’s Queens Award for Voluntary Services.

“To actually win the award is fantastic and a great achievement not for the Theatre but for the 100’s of volunteers that have dedicated 1000’s of hours of their time through the years.

“We would like to thank our local MP Andrew Stephenson for nominating us and the referees for supporting his nomination.”

Kevin and Gillian Mason from Pendle Hippodrome Theatre attended a garden party at Buckingham Palace on May 28 where they met the Queen and other winners of this year’s award.

Milly Greenwood from the theatre said the registered charity gets no outside funding.

Each year the Pendle Hippodrome Theatre holds two musicals and a show, a youth theatre show, as well as hiring the theatre out to acts and performers.

The awards were created in 2002 to celebrate the Queen’s Golden Jubilee and winners are announced each year on 2 June.

  • Pendle Hippodrome Theatre will receive the award from the Lord Lieutenant of Lancashire later this summer.