WHEN it comes to amateur drama, barber Bernard Lally reckons his hometown theatre club is a cut above the rest.

For while the final curtain has fallen on groups across the region, the Glenholme Theatre Club, in Crook, celebrates its 30th anniversary this month.

To mark the occasion, it is staging macabre Victorian thriller, The Monkey's Paw by WW Jacobs - its very first production.

Mr Lally, a gents' hairdresser in Crook for 40 years, was in that first production and appears in the repeat performance. He can remember when amateur drama groups flourished in nearly every village and town in the Wear Valley area.

"There were at least three in this town alone," he said. "Now there are just a handful left in the whole area."

Unlike other drama groups, which have folded because they have been unable to attract new members, the Glenholme club has proved a magnet for young local talent.

One of their principle productions last year was directed by 21-year-old student Tim Fairhurst - with several other youngsters helping out behind the scenes.

The club has a membership of about 30 - slightly higher than when its started 30 years ago. "I can't see any reason why we shouldn't carry on for another 30 years," said Mr Lally.

The club presents an anniversary double bill of The Monkey's Paw and a supernatural love story, Teen Angel, for a younger audience, at the St Catherine's Community Centre, Crook, for three nights, starting next Monday, at 7pm. Tickets at £5 for adults and £3 for concessions are available from shops in the town. For block bookings, call 01388-762436.