A LONG serving Basingstoke youth theatre group is celebrating being in the business for an impressive 20 years with a very special show.

The BATS NEXT GEN was set up in January 2002 after children who had appeared as the Von Trapp family in Basingstoke Amateur Theatrical Society (BATS) 2001 production of The Sound of Music had appealed for BATS to have a junior company.

They had noticed there was no affordable musical theatre for children in Basingstoke at that time.

SEE ALSO: Follow the the Yellow Brick Road as the Wizard of Oz panto heads to town for Easter fun

The group will be celebrating their special day with their show called 20, which will provide an exciting evening for audiences on April 23 at the Haymarket Theatre in Basingstoke.

Claire Roberts, BATS Next Gen committee member, said 20 years in the business is all down to the ‘dedication’ of the members.

She said: “We are celebrating 20 years and we are doing something different and we will have around 39 musical numbers from our past concerts.

“I think it is amazing to be celebrating 20 years. Sandie Thompson, who had the vision and drive 20 years ago to create this successful and highly respected group has been pivotal.

“We have a lot of people working on this show and it really is a celebration of all their dedication, and we are especially thankful just to be able to go on stage again and get back into the theatre.

“It is quite staggering really, but it really is down to the dedication of the group that it has been able to be kept financially stable for this long.”

READ MORE: 'My conservatory was full': Resident overwhelmed by sheer amount of donations for shelters for animals and refugees in Ukraine

The show will cleverly combine many of the highlights from the group's past performances. The 32 strong cast are all set to impress audiences with some of the most popular and best-known songs from musicals, which have been put together by a dedicated team of local volunteer creatives, past Next Genners and the latest talented group of young performers.

The original committee met for the first time on the January 15 in 2002. It comprised of Jenny Humberstone (chair), Chris Bale (vice-chair), Mandy Shallow (secretary), Sandie Thomson (treasurer), Caroline Bale, Caroline Crawford, Alison Allen, Caroline Daly and Sarah Barrow who were some of the parents of children in the Sound of Music.

For more information about the show, visit: www.anvilarts.org.uk/whats-on/event/bats-next-gen-20.

Message from the editor

Thank you for reading this story. We really appreciate your support.

Please help us to continue bringing you all the trusted news from your area by sharing this story or by following our Facebook page.