Theatre school searching for new storage home

Willow Tree Dance and Theatre Arts School needs a new place to store its costumes

A theatre school in Devon is looking for a new space to store several decades' worth of costumes after a leak in its roof.

Willow Tree Dance and Theatre Arts School, based in Tiverton, said the building it currently stored the items in including handmade clothing, wigs and accessories had a leak.

The school hosts about 274 pupils aged 18 months and upwards and said it hosts at least three shows a year. It added thanks to its collection, students did not need to rent or buy costumes for each show.

Head seamstress and wardrobe volunteer Lucy Bull said she wanted to find somewhere so "the next future generation" of students would be able to use the costumes.

She said: "I've got a couple of removal firms who are really helpfully going to come and have a look and see how much it's going to cost us even to move it, because as you can imagine it's a huge amount of clothes to move, but we don't have a home to move it to.

"If we don't find somewhere, I think we're going to have to break the collection up."

The school said its costumes had been worn by decades' worth of students who had since gone on to dance and drama schools.

Ms Bull added current teachers who had been pupils previously also remembered wearing some of the costumes too.

She said the school hoped someone could help house its items to prevent them having to throw items away or split them up.

"I just don't know how we can find space to house this in a way that's going to keep it ok as a legacy wardrobe for the next future generation of Willow Tree's to put on their amazing performances," Ms Bull said.