A LOCAL community theatre group has been able to "give everyone a chance" following a council grant.

Thanks to a simple piece of technology, Tockwith Players have been able to give a voice to young people.

The Players have now bought eight headset microphones thanks to grants from North Yorkshire councillors Andy Paraskos, member for Spofforth with Lower Wharfedale and Tockwith, and Cllr Arnold Warneken, member for Ouseburn and the chair of Tockwith with Wilstrop Parish Council.

Cllr Warneken is a strong supporter of the group, often helping backstage or front of house as well as starring as the Beast in their production of Beauty and the Beast

Each North Yorkshire councillor has a budget of £10,000 a year to allow them to respond to local needs by supporting specific community-led activities. For the Tockwith Players, the councillors provided £1,000 to add to almost £400 raised by the group.

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The chair of Tockwith Players, Sue Corbett, said: "We want to give everyone a chance, particularly the children

"We had a lot of children singing solo in this year’s pantomime. To see the children singing with the mics was just amazing."

Cllr Paraskos said: "The Players are a long-established part of village life. For decades, they have been bringing villagers together and promoting social inclusion and wellbeing.

"This simple addition to their equipment can help them fulfil that role even better in future."

The players have an improvised murder mystery coming up in February, followed by a play in April, then a "live at the village hall" event in July.