A SERIES of new musical and theatrical productions are set to take off at Bury Met thanks to sponsorship from Manchester Airport.

The extra cash will help The Met to stage its first ever classical ballet production when The Welsh National Ballet performs The Taming of the Shrew.

Other events supported by the airport's funding include the popular Louisiana and Blues music festivals, and Willy Russell's acclaimed play Educating Rita, which, in addition to three public performances, will be the subject of special showings at six local schools.

The Met is just one of 20 organisations to benefit from Manchester Airport's continued funding of regional arts, which totals £407,000 for the current financial year.

Bury Met marketing manager, David Agnew, said: "We are very grateful to Manchester Airport for their support without which we wouldn't be able to attract the higher profile artists."

Mr Agnew added: "The funding also enables us to stage larger events than we would usually be able to put on, such as the Louisiana Festival and the forthcoming Blues Festival next month."

The first event to be staged at The Met backed by the funding will be the Blues Festival. Manchester Airport has also allocated a further £5,000 to Bury for use in arts initiatives.

Airport group chief executive, Geoff Muirhead, said: "Through sponsorship, Manchester Airport hopes to enhance the already rich cultural life of the North West and support culture right across the region."

The annual Bury Blues Festival will run from June 15-16 . For further details on the festival and other forthcoming productions, contact Bury Met on 761-7107 or 761-2216.