HISTORICAL programmes dating back more than 60 years have been added to a Clacton venue’s archive after being rescued from a theatre-lover’s home.

Julia Willis, from Swaffham, Norfolk, sent in the memorabilia to Clacton’s Princes Theatre after the items were found while clearing out the house of a late friend.

The items included a series of programmes from the Penguin Players’ Summer Repertory Season in 1956, as well as a Clacton Carnival programme and a newspaper clipping.

They belonged to Kath Goodrum, who along with her sister Hazel and best friend Beth Fisher, were keen amateur dramatics fans and often travelled to the theatre together.

Julia helped clear out Kath and Hazel’s home after Hazel passed away in 2013, aged 88. They discovered the ladies had kept most of their memorabilia, uncovering a treasure trove of lifetime memories.

However, it was not until recently that Julia found a forgotten bag of historical theatre brochures from venues right across England.

Mick Skeels, Tendring Council’s cabinet member for leisure and tourism, said the story is a great addition to the theatre’s archives.

He said: “It’s always great when we receive items charting our brilliant theatre’s rich history.

“I would like to thank Julia for her discovery and for allowing the theatre to add the documents to its archives, along with Olive Wilson another friend of Beth, Kath and Hazel who helped Hazel recall these wonderful memories.

“The story of these three women is really inspiring and it’s lovely to hear how much they enjoy visiting different theatres.

“I hope this encourages more people to send in memories of the Theatre or even visit to watch a show.”