Member of Parliament for Clwyd South, Simon Baynes MP, recently presented the Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, with a counterweight from the Stiwt Theatre in Rhosllanerchrugog following a fundraising initiative to ensure repairs to the theatre.
To raise the funds necessary to repaint the auditorium and repair a leaking roof, The Stiwt launched an initiative whereby supporters can receive a long-lasting memento – a 13.5 kilo counterweight stamped with ‘Rhos Theatre.’
The counterweights are used in a system of ropes and pulleys backstage to hoist components such as curtains, lights, scenery, stage effects. The Stiwt has a surplus of counterweights which it is using in this fundraising campaign.
Mr Baynes was previously presented with the counterweight as a result of a donation he made to the fundraising campaign on a visit to The Stiwt in June 2021. During that visit, he met with Stiwt Theatre Trustee, Brian Jones, and General Manager, Rhys Davies, who updated him on the campaign and the latest developments at the theatre. They also showed him the counterweight mechanism in action on the stage at the theatre. Mr Baynes also met with representatives of Ysgol y Grango who delivered their donation of £450 to the Stiwt’s fundraising campaign following a successful ‘Own Clothes Day’ at the school.
Simon Baynes MP said:
“I was very pleased to present the Prime Minister with a counterweight from the Stiwt, by which he was very interested and impressed. He remembers the theatre well from his time as the Conservative Parliamentary Candidate for Clwyd South in 1997. The team at The Stiwt have put in an incredible amount of effort to raise the funds necessary to paint the auditorium and repair the roof in order to welcome back visitors. And it was a pleasure to highlight their exceptional work to the Prime Minister in this way.”
