A South East Cornwall arts centre is to get a £131,000 make-over this winter.

The backstage area behind the unique tented amphitheatre at Sterts, at Upton Cross, will be completely transformed with new changing rooms, showers and toilets and a new state of the art sound and lighting system will be installed.

Thanks to Viridor Credits Environmental Company, The Landfill Communities Fund and Cornwall Council, the centre, which stages scores of shows both amateur and professional throughout the year, will receive £131,000 in funding.

The cash will be spent on clearing away old portakabins and outdated facilitates backstage in order to construct a new set of adaptable buildings.

These will incorporate space for changing rooms, props and set as well as provide better access for disabled participants and keep performers warm and dry.

Alongside the new lighting and sound equipment a new hearing loop will be installed.

Centre manager Peter Woodward said: ‘Sterts Theatre has been welcoming audiences for nearly 30 years and, as a charity based organisation, has survived through the sheer hard work of our volunteers who help raise funds to keep the theatre alive.

‘This extra financial boost is fantastic as it will allow us to create a vastly improved space for the hundreds of people who take part in our performances.

‘We are extremely grateful to Viridor Credits and Cornwall Council for their generous funding.’

A £91,000 grant comes from the Viridor Credits Environmental Company, an independent, not-for-profit organisation that provides funding for worthwhile projects around the UK through the Landfill Communities Fund.

Viridor Credits has always been a keen supporter of Sterts and its commitment to community theatre, especially with its emphasis on the participation of the disabled and younger people.

The extra £39,000 will be provided by Cornwall Council through a conditional grant that has been unlocked by Viridor Credit’s cash injection.

Work will be carried out over the winter, with the new-look theatre opening again in May 2018.