A FUND-RAISING appeal has already raised more than £40,000 for Herefordshire's centre for the arts.

The Courtyard in Hereford launched its Fifteen Fund Appeal in April 2013 to commemorate the venue’s fifteenth anniversary and since then it has received more than £46,500 in donations which has supported community work across the county.

Some of the money has also been used to support the Edgar Street-based venue's own in-house producing work which saw the launch of the touring production of Jason & The Argonauts in the autumn of 2013.

Ian Archer, chief executive at the Courtyard, said: “We are delighted that our supporters have responded with such generosity to this appeal.

"We are now planning for a future potentially without statutory funding, so every bit of additional support is vital. Now the appeal is over, we will still need to continue to seek support to ensure that our work is funded."

They are also developing an intergenerational project, Stories on our Doorstep, where youth theatre members have met with older people and gathered memories to create a piece of exciting new writing for the stage to be performed in July.

For more information and to make a donation, go to courtyard.org.uk/donate or call the box office on 01432 340555.