(Image: Supplied)
Hours of painstaking costume work could soon become much easier for volunteers at a North Yorkshire theatre group after a funding boost helped them buy a specialist sewing machine.
Richmond Amateur Dramatics (RADS) bought the industrial overlocker with help from North Yorkshire Council’s INSPIRE Fund.
Georgie Sale, head of costume at RADS, said: "I'm thrilled with the capability and quality of the new machine.
"It will save the team hours of sewing and allow us to produce costumes to an even higher standard.
"Most importantly, the costumes will be stronger and more durable, so they can be used for many plays and performances to come."
Overlockers trim fabric edges and create neat, reinforced seams in one operation.
The machine should make costume work faster and improve the quality of future RADS productions.
The funding covered the machine’s full cost, and several costume team members have completed training to use it.
RADS has long been praised for its costumes, with one reviewer saying: "you would be hard pressed to find better costumes in the professional theatre."
The group says the overlocker will help it protect and build on that reputation.
The award will also give volunteers new skills to use in future productions.
RADS thanked the council, saying the machine will have a lasting impact on its costume department.
Volunteer Linda Mc Farland used the machine to make a headdress for RADS’s new play, The Cavern.
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RADS is an amateur theatre group run by volunteers who share a passion for drama and the creative arts.
Alongside its performers, the group relies on volunteers handling costumes, scenery, lighting, props and production.
RADS welcomes new members.