A RECENT community youth arts project involving Basingstoke’s Fluid Motion Theatre Company has raised £300 for the Royal British Legion.

The Fareham and Basingstoke youth theatres created production Mrs Gill’s Grand Matinee as part of the World War One centenary commemorations.

The project encouraged children, young people and members of the community to learn about the war.

The group then created a piece of original theatre using the research they had gathered, exploring any family links they had to soldiers serving at the front.

The end result was a piece of immersive theatre in the style of a music hall variety show which took the audience in Winchester’s Chesil Theatre back to Christmas 1914.

The funds raised for the RBL came from ticket sales and a WW1 cake sale.

Leigh Johnstone, the artistic director of Fluid Motion Theatre Company, said: “The whole community came together to commemorate the centenary of the First World War in such a wonderfully creative way.

“We are so proud of all the children and young people who took part and would like to thank all of those who came and supported them”.

Fluid Motion, which now has three youth theatres across Hampshire, plans to create a series of site-specific outdoor events based around Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings over the summer.

They would like to hear from hobbits, wizards and other mythical beings who’d like to take part at any of the youth theatre’s branches - Portsmouth, Basingstoke and Fareham.

Find out more online at fluidmotiontheatre.co.uk.