Stafford Gatehouse Theatre is celebrating record revenue and visitor numbers, with more than 180,000 people passing through its doors in the space of 12 months.

The Eastgate Street venue saw an upturn in attendances across the board in the year ending on 31 March. The previous year saw 170,000 people visit the theatre, and the extra 10,000 people represents a six per cent increase overall.

In addition, the venue also took record revenue with its highest income since opening in 1982.

One of the biggest successes was the record-breaking Sleeping Beauty pantomime at Christmas, which attracted just under 19,500 people over the festive period. Ticket sales for this year’s Aladdin are already ahead of previous sales patterns and the theatre is hoping for yet another record turn-out this Christmas.

Other big shows included comedy greats Jason Manford, Milton Jones, Bobby Davro, Chris McCausland and Scott Bennett, West End icon Lee Mead and music stars including Showaddywaddy, Gareth Gates and Nik Kershaw.

Gatehouse Marketing Manager Keith Harrison said: "It’s been the busiest year in Gatehouse history, with more visitors, the most revenue and more shows being scheduled than ever before.

It’s great that audiences are loving a big night out at the theatre and also a sign that performers love coming to Stafford, as we have such a beautiful building and we get such good feedback.

We’ve enjoyed working with Channel 4 on a major production and hosted a Channel 5 TV series premiere, so it’s great to get national recognition from some major partners.

One of the key drivers is our booming social media following and active subscriber base - which stands at around 150,000 people - as well as our local volunteers who do such a brilliant job of welcoming audiences, checking tickets and showing people to their seats."

General Manager Gary Stevens said: "This has been an incredible year for the Gatehouse, and it simply wouldn’t be possible without the ongoing support of our audiences, volunteers and local partners.

Seeing more people than ever enjoying what we offer - from major touring acts to community productions - really highlights the important role the theatre plays at the heart of Stafford. We’re proud of what we’ve achieved and even more excited about what’s to come."

The Gatehouse is operated by Freedom Leisure, one of the UK’s leading charitable not-for-profit leisure trusts in partnership with Stafford Borough Council, which recently funded new exterior lighting and carpets at the historic building, which has been a landmark in the town since 1877.

For details about shows, venue hire or to sign up for the mailing list, contact 01785 619080 or visit gatehousetheatre.co.uk.