THE campaign to save Malvern’s prestigious theatre has been given two timely boosts this week.

The theatre was awarded £15,000 by the BFI Film Audience Network (FAN) as part of its BFI FAN COVID-19 Resilience Fund - while a generous postman donned a superman outfit to raise £4,000 for the theatre.

The BFI grant will go towards saving the Cinema part of Malvern Theatres after it was announced it was in severe financial trouble as a result of the coronavirus crisis.

Carrying a donation bucket with him and using a JustGiving page, Ian Palmer raised vital money to help save the theatre. He said: "I was over the moon to raise so much money for Malvern Theatres.

As a postman, I love being part of the local community, especially at this difficult time when we are helping to keep families and friends in touch with one another.

"The theatre is normally the heartbeat of the town and so I was pleased to raise a little bit of money to help them get through this crisis, as were people on my round who gave more generously than I could ever have expected."

READ MORE: Future of Malvern Theatres in doubt as coronavirus hits income

Emma Maggs, head of development at Malvern Theatres, said: "Like all independent cinemas and venues, we lost our income overnight when we closed our doors in the face of the COVID-19 crisis.

"This contribution will help us survive these dark days and plan more confidently for the future. Film is at the heart of our artistic planning and we take pride in delivering an incredibly diverse programme.

"We are so grateful to Ian for doing this for us, and to everyone who donated to him and to the theatre’s appeal. Every penny is so appreciated. We thank everyone for their support and look forward to the day when we can safely reopen."

Mayor of Malvern Neil Morton welcomed the news of the donations, and encouraged residents to show their support to the theatre.

He said: "The Theatre is a vital part of Malvern and has been there for such a long time. I was sorry to hear it was in trouble but encouraged by the news that the community has rallied round to keep it going.

"When it re-opens, it will feel like the final piece of the puzzle for life getting back to normal.”