THE Courtyard culminated its 20th birthday celebrations with a bang recently.

To mark the end of The Courtyard's 20th anniversary year, a special evening was hosted to showcase the talent of many of the local organisations and individuals who have graced its stage over the past 20 years.

2Faced Dance, Dancefest, X-Entricity, Hereford Academy of Dance and the Gilbert and Sullivan Society were just a few of the many groups to perform at The Courtyard's 20th Anniversary Showcase and every performer shone brightly.

"What an amazing evening," said Peter Florence, director of the Hay Festival "I was astonished and delighted by the depth and range of brilliant dancing and seeing all the young people filling that stage turned my heart over."

Over the past 12 months, The Courtyard have been raising funds for the I HEART CY 20 appeal to support its work with the local community such as Youth Theatre and Creative Ageing projects as well as to future proof the building itself.

With one fundraising event left, which will see Courtyard staff and stewards take on a 10k sponsored walk, Courtyard supporters can keep their eyes peeled for a final total of funds raised for the I HEART 20 appeal in the autumn.

After the I HEART CY 20 appeal comes to a close, The Courtyard will be moving on to raising funds for its capital expansion project Transform The Yard, an exciting project that will set the stage for the future, transforming the venue and improving customer experience whilst increasing accessibility and enabling The Courtyard to reach even more people with its community work.

For more information about The Courtyard's fundraising campaigns visit

courtyard.org.uk/join-or-give