CHARITY bosses have donated hundreds of pounds to benefit disabled theatre fans.

Bolton and District Hospital Saturday Fund handed over £1,200 sponsorship to the Octagon to help hard-of-hearing and visually impaired audience members enjoy the show.

The cash windfall meant a sign language expert was able to guide deaf theatregoers through the recent Shirley Valentine production.

Audio headsets were also available during recent performances of Anna Karenina, for people with sight problems.

The headsets and signing facilities will now be offered to theatregoers during the Howell Croft South theatre's Christmas production The Owl and the Pussy Cat Went to See.

Peter Green, chief executive of the Saturday Fund, said: "We were delighted to be able to help and offer this sponsorship. We did this in line with our not-for-profit ethos. We saw it as a way of providing something for people who are visually impaired or hard-of-hearing to improve their quality of life and to allow them to access things we take for granted."

The Saturday Fund, based on Silverwell Street, Bolton, is a non-profit making organisation which helps townsfolk with medical expenses.

An insurance scheme run by the group, which was set up in 1817, allows townsfolk to save £1 a week towards a fund which help pay for medical bills.

A spokesman for the Octagon praised the charity's decision to sponsor the special performances, adding: "We're immensely grateful to the Bolton and District Hospital Fund.

"The Octagon does not have the funding to do these particular performances so the help provided has been vital."