THE Friends of Theatre Royal have raised £5,000 towards the ongoing refurbishment of the theatre.

The theatre, which has been closed since March, is due to reopen in the spring 2016.

Of the £4.1 million total cost of the work, the theatre has £65,000 left to raise.

The Friends handed over the money at their annual general meeting at St Olave's church on Marygate. Vicky Biles, general manager of the theatre, said: "We're very grateful to the Friends."

The Friends raised the money through outings, brunches and fairs. They also run regular craft mornings.

Duncan Savage was one of the founding members of the Friends in September 1969, before becoming chairman of the group for 28 years. He said: "The Friends have always worked hard to raise funds."

A lifelong supporter of the theatre and particularly interested in set design, Mr Savage is a particular fan of its Shakespeare productions. He said: "I can't list all the great actors I've seen at the Theatre Royal because there's so so many."

He has two sons in the theatre, one doing lighting and sound at Theatre Royal and one at Stockton-on-Tees.

Mr Savage also remembers seeing a play called 'Content to Whisper' with Judi Dench in the early 1970s, which was lambasted by critics and Dame Judi herself, who has since called it 'the most terrible play known to man'.

A newer member of the Friends is Liz Travill, who joined two years ago. She said: "Since I came to York I've loved Theatre Royal. I loved the theatre anyway, so I decided to see what the Friends did, and I was really impressed. We're a very social group.

"Theatre Royal has always been a very active place, and it's lovely to meet people."

The theatre is undergoing changes including an increased foyer space, a reconfigured and refurbished auditorium and the whole building being made more accessible with north and south entrances.

Bosses have said this work will sustain the future the theatre for the next 60 years.