CINDERELLA is going to the ball next week – with a little help from the ‘Wellington Wand Wizards’!

The team from Wellington Pantomime Group produced hundreds of eco-friendly wands over the festive period which will be handed to members of the audience before performances and collected again afterwards.

Stephanie Colman, from the panto group, said: “The making of a show sees lots of things being re-used, altered and adapted year after year, and as recycling is a very important issue we set about sourcing alternatives to plastic.”

The Wand Wizards used willow from a sustainable local source, twine and a star, but when they wanted to add some sparkle found the cost of eco-friendly glitter was too high.

Stephanie added: “We changed direction and looked into materials we could recycle. It was a challenge but we hope people appreciate the time and effort that went into making something that is a little more friendly to the planet.”

Stephanie said many local schools made recycled Christmas decorations this year and the panto group had borrowed a few ideas.

n Cinderella is being staged at the Wellesley Theatre in Wellington from Wednesday-Saturday, January 23-26 at 7.30pm with other performances on Saturday at 10am and 2.30pm, and on Sunday, January 27, at 12.30pm.

Tickets priced £11 adults (£8 concessions) are available by email from [email protected]; phone – 01823 240063; website – www.

ticketsource.co.uk/wellingtonartscentre; and at Odette’s tearoom in High Street, Wellington.