THE fundraising needs of the Palace Theatre Watford will be put in the spotlight thanks to the donation last week of two theatre lamps.

The lights will be used to project details of the theatre's refurbishment appeal on to its safety curtain.

The Palace is trying to raise £1.5 million to pay for refurbishments.

The idea of getting the message beamed straight to audiences came from chief electrician Mr Ian Saunders.

He said: 'We felt this would be the most effective method of getting the message across without disturbing the performances - subtle yet direct.'

The two spotlights were donated by ETC Europe, an international lighting company that has offices in London.

The Palace was put in touch with ETC by one of the theatre's directors, Mrs Nikki Scott, who is also business manager for Stage Technologies, a theatre equipment company.

Through her work, Mrs Scott met representatives of ETC and organised the donation.

She said: 'We are delighted. This donation will really get this campaign off the ground, reaching the 120,000 people who come through the theatre's doors every year and who want to see the historic theatre continue to produce work well into the future.'

The lights were presented to the theatre by ETC Europe's international business development manager, Mr Peter Ed last Thursday.