LOTTERY cash is helping to make a grand difference to a Blackpool theatre.

The resort's Grand Theatre received a financial boost from the National Lottery in June worth £681,000.

A ten-week transformation has since taken place using the money, along with more cash donated from sources including English Heritage and Guinness.

The theatre's roof has been updated with insulation and felting.

Half of the dressing rooms have been decked out with comfortable furniture and modernised facilities.

But perhaps the most striking difference to the grade II listed building is the studio theatre area.

More space has been created and the entrance is being transformed so the area is more accessible for audiences and those attending education sessions.

Neil Thompson, project manager, said: "Our projects are either right on schedule or ahead of it, thanks to the good weather we have had.

"The next plan is to cover Matcham Square with a canopy so people queuing at that entrance to the theatre will stay dry.

"The way things are going it could be finished before next October."

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