Historic Wirral theatre launches boiler appeal after filling hot water bottles for audiences!

A historic Wirral theatre has launched an appeal to raise funds for a new boiler after it was left filling hot water bottles to keep audiences warm!

The Little Theatre in Birkenhead, which is one of the oldest in our region and now run by a team of volunteers, is housed inside a former church that’s almost 200 years old.

Although that gives it plenty of character, it also creates some practical problems and that includes an ancient heating system.

After numerous fixes, the boiler finally gave up the ghost before Christmas, leaving performers and theatregoers feeling the chill.

Laura Smith, The Little Theatre’s business and publicity manager, says they’ve been doing their best since then to warm everyone up while they set about funding a replacement.

She explains:

“We have lots of issues with the heating and our system has been limping on for a while. We’ve had to have people out to get it fixed about six or seven times a year, which costs us a lot of money – more to fix it than it would to just replace it – but in smaller chunks.

“When they came out to see what they could do about the boiler this time the repairers just said, ‘they don’t even make the part we need anymore’ so then we had no choice.

“It broke just before our first show of the season, Blackadder, in early November and then we were without it all the way through winter. 

“We’ve had lots of different people in doing shows, and we’ve all had to work at below 10 degrees, it’s been so cold. All the original old church brick is above the false ceiling and it just doesn’t hold the heat so it’s colder sometimes in the auditorium than it is outside.

“While the boiler’s broken we’ve been giving audiences free hot chocolate to try and keep them warm, we’ve been encouraging people to bring blankets and we’ve been offering to fill up hot water bottles!”

Luckily the studio bar heating is still working, it’s the main auditorium which isn’t. 

The fundraising campaign will allow the theatre to install a new, energy-efficient heating system to keep audiences comfortable all year round, protect the building from damp and cold damage, and reduce energy costs and carbon footprint.

As Birkenhead’s last remaining theatre, and home to the Carlton Players, The Little Theatre on Grange Road West doesn’t just hold a place in the town’s history, it’s important for its creative future too.

“The Little Theatre is responsible for helping keep smaller theatre societies alive as theatre prices go up nationwide,” adds Laura. “We do our best to keep our costs low to support societies and audiences alike and to make the arts accessible. 

“Because the building is a repurposed Presbyterian church which at almost 200 years old, it requires a lot of work to keep it sustainable. It’s no secret that our roof requires repair, but we now have something more urgent that needs immediate attention and support.

“At the end of March we have The Woolgatherers presenting Arsenic and Old Lace and we’re hoping to get our heating back for that, but it depends on the money we manage to raise.

“We have donation buckets out at the end of our plays and in our studio and people put their loose change in those which all adds up, and we’ve also got some additional fundraisers happening – one of our supporters is running the Brighton Marathon for us in April, someone is letting us wax his chest, and we’re going to start putting calls out for people to do things like the Wirral Walk.

“We’re also always on the lookout for community-minded people, especially plumbers, who are willing to come in and hopefully do some work for a reduced rate because that would be a big help.”

Support The Little Theatre’s crowdfunder here.

Find more Wirral news here.

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