Red Rose Chain kickstarts its bid to raise £100,000 towards the first year of its vital community and education projects Friday night.

It’s teamed up with the Rosa Giving Circle for Suffolk, which supports projects working with women and girls in the county, for a gala fundraising evening at Ipswich High School’s Woolverstone Hall from 7.30pm.

“Rather than the bricks and mortar, we’re focusing on raising money for the activities that go on within The Avenue Theatre at Gippeswyk Hall, which is Heritage Lottery Funded, the lives we touch and can make a difference too,” says Red Rose Chain’s artistic director and former Ipswich High School pupil Jo Carrick.

“Rosa is very interested in supporting the work we do and have very kindly offered to run this fundraising event for us. We don’t have any core funding, we exist entirely project funded.

“In order to take on this theatre, which is a wonderful opportunity, we’re going to need more infrastructure and to make sure the activities and participation can remain free to everybody - that’s essential for our mission in terms of bringing art to everybody. We really need this £100,000 to make it happen.”

The night will be a chance to get a glimpse behind the scenes and hear about the work the company does, ask questions and see extracts from previous shows. There will also be a raffle, with prizes including an original film cell from Four Weddings and a Funeral plus cinema and theatre tickets.

Tickets, costing £20 each including drinks and canapés, must be bought in advance from the Red Rose Chain box office via 01473 603388 or by visiting www.redrosechain.com