FUNDING has been found to allow 300 children with learning disabilities to visit a major new project which is going to be created at the Horse and Bamboo Theatre in Waterfoot.

Every two years the theatre holds a guided imagery project and this year a magnificent menagerie will be built inside the theatre in Bacup Road with plenty of sights, sounds and smells to stimulate the senses of the children who visit with their carers.

The theatre has £25,000 from trusts and charities in order the put on the project which will be built in October and will be open for groups to visit in November for five weeks.

Performance venue The Green Room in Manchester has also expressed an interest in moving the project there in December and reworking it into a Christmas production.

Arts initiatives and programming manager Andrew Rawlinson said: "When Bob Frith set up the company in 1978 he wanted to create something that was accessible to everyone and not just the people who come and watch a performance.

"This is the biggest project that we carry out and it is held every two years and is an interactive theatre project for children with special needs and difficulties.

"Each group will have 15 children and their care staff and they will go round a challenging sensory environment with colours, music, sounds and smells to stimulate the children to make sure they get the most our of it.

"There will probably be 300 children who visit from various special schools all across East Lancashire."

The theatre group has just returned from St Helier in Jersey, where they have been involved in a week-long project helping locals to build a semi-permanent sculpture for the newly developed harbour front.

The company was commissioned by Sara Clews of Jersey Art Centre and made a tree from driftwood found on washed up on Jersey and the project culminated in a 30-minute parade of puppets and masks and percussion music.

Sara said: "The whole project was wonderful and the final parade was so beautiful, with all the participants and spectators enjoying themselves so much."

The project was a great success, said Andrew and it was great to be able to leave behind the driftwood tree, which will leave a reminder of the visit.