The stage is set - for a brief moment the stage is illuminated and then, with a horrible inevitability, one of the lights blinks out. A groan goes out amongst the cast and crew. "Not again. Who's got the toolkit and the spare bulbs?" Unfortunately we are not a troupe of qualified electricians so we have had to muddle on through.

Equally unfortunately this scene has been played out far too often in our recent productions and we have decided that it is finally time to replace the stage lights in Nannerch Memorial Hall.

The Memorial Hall is our village hall and, as such, is one of the key hubs of our local community. It is where the Nannerch Players put on the vast majority of their plays, pantos, revues and murder mysteries. The lighting system is old, no longer fit for purpose, and over recent years has been getting more and more unreliable with lamps and cables starting to give up.

Hence our decision to replace it with a lighting system fit for the hall and one that will last for many years to come. This does not come cheap, with the total cost in the region of £14,000 for the equipment and professional installation. As we are only a small community group we are looking at various sources of funding. We have put on a murder mystery evening in April as a fund raiser, details of which are available on our Facebook page. We have contributed from our funds and members have also pledged personal donations. We will also be applying for grants, in particular from the National Lottery. In addition, we are appealing to anyone who would like to support us with a donation.

The lights will clearly be of huge benefit to the Nannerch Players, but more than that, they can also be made available to other groups or individuals who hire the hall. Whether it be a disco, comedy night, live music event or just a party the new lighting will help transform the atmosphere of the hall. The hall is very important to our community and its facilities should reflect that.

Thank you.