Ashton KCJ is celebrating today after being nominated as East of England Cultural Champions by the UK’s last surviving Regency playhouse.

Ashton KCJ is celebrating today after being nominated as East of England Cultural Champions by the UK’s last surviving Regency playhouse. The firm has been connected with the Theatre Royal Bury St Edmunds since 1998, when Partner the late Robert Stark became an enthusiastic and influential Board Member. Since then, the company has contributed towards:

· Sponsorship of nine annual productions for the National Tour (2000-2006)
· The Theatre Restoration Campaign (2006)
· Restoring the Repertoire, sponsoring four autumn productions of ‘lost’ Georgian plays (2007-2010).

The Arts & Business Cultural Champions initiative is a nationwide event programme created to recognise and acknowledge the work of exceptional individuals from the wider public or business community who support the Arts with their time, expertise and money. In the Eastern region, the event will be celebrated at a reception in Chelmsford on November 26, 2010, which will be hosted by John Whittingdale OBE, MP for Malden and Chair of the House of Commons Culture, Media & Sport Select Committee.

Colin Tweedy, Chief Executive of Arts & Business, commented: "The true meaning of philanthropy comes from the word literally love of people. In recent times, the term "arts philanthropy" has come to mean million pound donations. These are wonderful but what about the other half of the story? A silent army of volunteers gives their time, effort and expertise to culture up and down the land.” Mr Tweedy added: “This local, priceless kind of philanthropy is what our Cultural Champions programme is about. Arts & Business honours these quiet heroes who do so much for community and culture.”

In the 1990s, the Theatre Royal, together with others, identified a lack of quality drama provision for mid-scale playhouses. With visionary funding from Ashton KCJ, the shared ambition to increase the provision of quality drama was realised and met with great success. This partnership continued until 2006. The success of this collaboration and reward brought to both parties meant that Ashton KCJ decided to continue their investment into a second phase. Because of its unique history, the Theatre Royal has a special ambition to restore the lost dramatic repertoire of the Georgian era, researching and performing neglected plays from over 200 years ago. At no other venue in the world may audiences see the works that engaged their earlier counterparts in the time of Jane Austen or Emily Bronte in their correct historic context. “It has been an enormous pleasure to be involved in this association with the Theatre Royal,” says Matthew Potter, a Partner with Ashton KCJ. “The vital importance of private sector sponsorship of the Arts cannot be underestimated.”

The Theatre Royal’s Artistic Director, Colin Blumenau said: “We are extremely grateful for Ashton KCJ’s sponsorship over the past 11 years and we sincerely hope that our mutually beneficial Partnership will continue, despite the uncertain economic climate.”
Mr Blumenau added: “When we learned of the Cultural Champions initiative, Ashton KCJ’s generous patronage of the Theatre Royal made them the ideal candidate for nomination. We are truly proud of the relationship that we have jointly built with Ashton KCJ since Robert Stark joined our Board in 1998.” In 2008, Ashton KCJ consolidated its commitment to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) with the appointment of a CSR Committee, comprised of staff who represent all areas of the business. The CSR Committee meets on a monthly basis to discuss staff welfare, environmental issues, charitable giving and support and pro bono work.