Member Article

New van for York Theatre Royal thanks to sponsorship from Caddick Group

As York Theatre Royal’s summer family show The Wind in the Willows opened to delighted audiences and reviewers alike earlier this month, the production and backstage staff were celebrating too as the theatre was supplied with a new van, thanks to main sponsors Caddick Construction and Oakgate Group PLC, part of Caddick Group.

Yorkshire businesses, Caddick Construction and Oakgate Group responded to the local theatre’s appeal for transportation support by sponsoring a top-of-the-range van. In particular, Caddick Group were keen to support the local arts due to their recent involvement in the development of the flagship Vangarde Shopping Park in York.

Paul Veysey, Production Manager at York Theatre Royal, comments on the recent donation: “Being able to access the van at a moment’s notice allows us to tell more people about our productions, as well as ensuring we can source set, props and equipment of the highest quality. The van has even been used as a dressing room for Berwick Kaler when out making the panto film in the past.”

Paul Caddick, Chairman of Caddick Group, comments: “Following 36 weeks of construction on the highly anticipated £90 million Vangarde Shopping Park, both Caddick Construction and Oakgate Group, who jointly worked on the scheme, wanted to give something back to the local community. It was a real pleasure for the teams involved to work on a prestigious project in York and as a result, we have pledged to support local business, York Theatre Royal.

“The sponsorship of the York Theatre Royal van allows the Vangarde Shopping Park teams to leave a legacy of their hard work behind, whilst linking the local arts with businesses from across the region.”

Liz Wilson, Chief Executive of York Theatre Royal, adds: “It is great to be associated with so many local businesses and to demonstrate this to the public with our name alongside theirs. Their generosity means we now have a new and reliable van, which is really important as we will be working at a number of locations during the theatre’s major redevelopment project.”

The donation of the van has also been supported by other local businesses including Grace Landscapes, Howard Civil Engineering, Oldroyd Floowinrg Ltd, RBA, Til – ex, Compass Engineering Ltd and Cover Structure.

This summer the magic of Kenneth Grahame’s The Wind in the Willows is brought to life by York Theatre Royal’s Artistic Director, Damian Cruden. After its sell out success in 2010, this classic children’s tale has returned in a new configuration with a pre-show experience. In keeping with the original story, Mr Toad, played by Martin Barrass, is as mischievous as ever and his fascination with all things motorised gets him into a lot of bother.

Caddick Group PLC is at the forefront of commercial property development, construction & civil engineering in the UK. Offering more than 30 years’ experience across a range of market sectors including commercial, education, industrial, leisure, refurbishment, residential, care, retail, mixed use and fit out. The Group employs almost 500 people and its turnover is £90 million.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Fiona Lane .