Theatre reaches £10k goal to fix leaking roof

The theatre and cinema in Swanage started fundraising towards the work after temporary fixes were no longer enough to keep the rain out

A seafront theatre and cinema has managed to raise the £10,000 needed to put towards repairs to its roof riddled with leaks.

The Mowlem Theatre on Shore Road in Swanage, Dorset, started a six week appeal to raise the money to add a waterproof layer onto the existing flat roof on 3 October.

After many temporary fixes, the theatre found the roof was getting worse and needed urgent extensive repairs to avoid further damage over the winter and the possibility of cancelling shows or even closing the building.

The theatre said it planned to get the work done as soon as possible to avoid further damage over the winter to the 1960s building.

The theatre said the roof on the building opened in 1967, has been leaking for a while and is getting worse

The venue has been using buckets between the ceiling and the roof to catch the water dripping in above its stage after finding puddles.

Kate McGregor, executive director of the theatre, said the money raised through the appeal would be put together with funds from its other fundraising initiatives to pay for the work "to keep the rain out for years to come."

The fundraising appeal runs until 13 November at 15:05 BST.

The Theatre said any further funds raised would go towards more work and improvements on the building.