Wellington Pantomime Group’s show Treasure Island is going ahead this week with a five-day run at the Wellesley Theatre.

Many similar productions have been cancelled but Treasure Island starts next Wednesday (January 26).

"We want the public to know we are ready and raring to go and have a great show waiting for them," said group chairman Pete Watts.

"We, like many other societies, have had to endure setbacks in the past two years and the lockdown in 2020 meant that the January 2021 production had to be cancelled, although a lot of consideration was given before the decision was made.

"Most people won’t know that it costs nearly £18,000 to stage the pantomimes and they examined what costs could be reduced but inevitably it then begs the question of how far to cut things to get a show on.

"However, in Wellington at least, pantomime endures and Treasure Island is now ready for its debut with a lot of hard work by cast and crew ensuring it sets sail.'

The pantomime is at the Wellesley Theatre in Wellington from Wednesday, January 26, until Sunday, January 30, with three performances on Saturday. The charities it is sponsoring this year are Wellington League of Friends and St Giles Animal Sanctuary.

Tickets are available online at www.ticketsource.co.uk/wellingtonartscentre or in person from Odette’s Tearoom. The box office number is 01823 240063.

For the full story, see this week's Wellington Weekly News.