The outgoing chair of the trustees who run Tenbury’s Regal Theatre has been given a special award for her years of service.

High Sheriff of Worcestershire Charles Moyle presented Jane Allen with the High Sheriff’s Award following a charity evening on Friday November 1 which he helped organise at the historic venue.

"The Regal is so good because of the leadership,” Mr Moyle said. “At the centre of that are the trustees, and at the centre of that for the last decade has been Jane Allen.”

He praised in particular her role during the Covid 19 and flooding episodes which have beset the venue in recent years, saying she “stopped the Regal being overwhelmed by a tide of adversity”.

Guests had earlier enjoyed Dial Medicine for Murder, a popular long-running exploration of the parallel lives of notorious mass-murdering doctors Harold Shipman and John Bodkin Adams.

It was given by two other doctors who are experts on the pair, Harry Brünjes and Andrew Johns, who waived their fee for the evening.

A “VIP Package” meanwhile allowed guests into a pre-show reception of bubbles and gourmet canapés first, and a chance to meet the performers.

This all boosted funds for the High Sheriff Fund, which on Mr Moyle’s watch is funding initiatives in the county to keep young people out of crime.

Ms Allen’s replacement to head up the Regal’s 12-strong board, which oversees the work of the Regal’s team of staff and volunteers, will be Katy Rogers, who after a career in the corporate world has her own coaching and consultancy practice locally.

Ms Rogers also volunteers as a trustee for Mentor Link, a charity which provides volunteer mentors for vulnerable children and young adults, and teaches yoga.

She takes over at the board’s AGM on November 13.