In January 2025, as The Mission Theatre celebrated its 20th Birthday, Next Stage Theatre Company created Friends of The Mission Theatre, a charitable body whose aim is to look after and maintain the Grade II listed chapel that is The Mission.
The first fundraising goal of the charity was to raise £20,000, to replace the degraded and rotting window frames on the front and East side of the building. These weather-damaged frames had become so worn that, with insecure glass and failing catches, it was too dangerous to open the windows.
As of Monday January 19th 2026, within a year of the campaign’s launch, Next Stage is proud to announce that the £20,000 goal has been reached.
With a large part of the total figure raised by the summer of 2025 Next Stage had been able to commission Emery Brother’s Ltd to undertake the main renovative work during August – to take advantage of the longer days and warmer weather. In a 6-week period, the Emery’s team worked flat out and a few days before Next Stage opened the Autumn Season at the theatre with a production of The Herd by Rory Kinnear, our lovely new, opening, windows were all in place.
Now that all of the money has been raised, the internal decorative work can take place, ensuring that The Mission Theatre’s new window frames will last for years to come.
Next Stage Theatre Company would like to express heartfelt thanks to friends, patrons, members of the company, and audiences, all of whom have worked hard and contributed generously enabling us achieve another fundraising goal that helps us look after our lovely Grade II listed chapel.
The final donation that took us over the finish line this week came from a fundraising gala evening, where invited guests attended a private evening of entertainment organised by members of Next Stage Theatre Company.
The completion of this campaign takes the total raised in support of The Mission Theatre since it opened in January 2005 to over £315,000.
Artistic Director of Next Stage Theatre Company, Ann Ellison BEM says: “It’s amazing to have raised £20,000 within a year, given the tough economic times everyone is facing. It says so much about the love and affection so many people in Bath have for our beautiful community theatre that, whenever we do need to raise essential funds for its upkeep, there are so many supporters who are happy to help us.”
