A THEATRE has welcomed its 500,000th customer with champagne and flowers.
The Gala Theatre, in Durham, yesterday rolled out the red carpet for teacher Shirley Brown, from Newton Hall, who ensured the landmark sales figure was passed when she bought tickets for the regular Comedy Store night next month.
The 42-year-old mother-of-two initially did not believe it when theatre director Simon Stallworthy rang to tell her the news.
She said: "By pure coincidence, I was coming down that night to see Wallace and Gromit with my daughters and when I got a telephone message left from the theatre director, I thought maybe the film had been cancelled.
"When he finally got hold of me to let me know I was the 500,000th customer, I thought it was a wind-up."
She first visited the Gala in May 2002 -four months after it opened -and has since been more than 50 times.
Mr Stallworthy, who was appointed in April, said: "It has taken more than three years to reach our half-millionth customer, but I think we will reach the millionth in two years."
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