A NEW £100,000 arts and entertainment venue is set to give a boost to local businesses when it opens next month near Edenbridge in time for the Hever Festival.

Last year time was called on the Hever Lakeside Theatre, which hosted a summer of concerts and plays for 25 years.

Nearly 15,000 people visited the outdoor theatre last year but organisers were worried they may have to move it somewhere else.

Managing director of Hever Festival Productions, Anna Skinner, said: "The theatre had been tremendously successful but the location it occupied in the grounds of Hever Castle was no longer available, and so it was forced to close its curtains at the end of last summer."

She explained that due to the economic climate it would have been easy to walk away from the festival, but the company decided to carry on.

She said: "We have been looking for a potential new site for two years but we didn't have this confirmed until January, so we really had to get a move on."

They sourced new facilities for the theatre including original stage canopy imported from Canada. They landscaped the site to allow for their tiered and covered seating stands and, perhaps most importantly, found a bank willing to lend them funds at a time of economic crisis.

Mrs Skinner said: "It cost about £100,000 but it is exciting. It is a new era and we have a new relationship with the castle. The venue is new and more versatile and we are looking forward to getting started.

"It is good for the area as it brings a lot of people in. I know a lot of the local pubs and bed and breakfasts benefit from the festival and people make it part of their day when going for walks or visiting places like Edenbridge."

The inaugural summer season kicks off on July 5 with Hever Showtime, a celebration of musical theatre highlighting a medley of numbers from Mamma Mia!

Daytime performances have also been made possible, with Shakespeare's The Comedy of Errors being the first production to offer a matinee on July 31.

The season of 30 shows runs until September and includes jazz, classical music and opera, plays, musical theatre and comedy.

Mrs Skinner added: "It is a brand new venture, with all the risks and excitement associated with such a project. But most impressive now is the new outdoor arts facility that has been created in time to offer a wealth of entertainment for this summer, as well as a great deal more potential for the future, including perhaps some joint ventures with the castle."

For more information visit www.heverfestival.co.uk or call the box office on 01732 866114.