New Vic theatre to get £2.5m grant from Bet365 boss

Denise Coates was appointed CBE for services to the community and business in 2012

Staffordshire's New Vic Theatre is to get a £2.5m grant from the charity set up by the billionaire boss of Bet 365.

The money from the Denise Coates Foundation will be split over five years and enable the theatre to open up performances to a wider audience and continue to produce high quality productions, the theatre said.

The grant was "a fantastic endorsement of the quality of our work", Theresa Heskins, artistic director, said.

Ms Coates is one of Britain's wealthiest women, a major philanthropist and her company owns Stoke City football club.

The Newcastle-under-Lyme theatre said it regularly achieved national acclaim for the work it produced , including Marvellous, a play about Stoke-on-Trent kit man Neil Baldwin which transferred to London last year and opened Soho Place, the first new West End theatre in over 50 years.

“We are so grateful to the Denise Coates Foundation for their generous support of our vision, that people from our area experience the highest quality theatre making on their doorstep," Ms Heskins said.

"This grant is a fantastic endorsement of the quality of our work and means that we can continue to develop the level of artistic ambition and creativity that our audiences value so much.”

Denise Coates said: “This area is so lucky to have the New Vic, its productions bring joy and entertainment to so many.

"This additional investment will further enhance the quality of its output and I am delighted that the Foundation is able to play its part in enabling the New Vic to take that next step in the delivery of its artistic ambition.”