STARS of Southampton’s business community attended a glamorous gala dinner at the Mayflower Theatre.

Guests at the event, which was held to raise funds for the theatre’s community and educational activities called Engage, were entertained by singers and musicians from West End musicals.

Since it was formed in 2013, Engage has worked with more than 74,000 people through workshops, events and performances, with 30,000 people taking part in activities last year alone.

Michael Ockwell, Mayflower Theatre chief executive said: “The future of theatre is at the heart of what we do.

“Our Engage programme is key to reaching out to our community and giving young people opportunities to experience live theatre for themselves.

“It is fantastic that so many local companies wanted to support this fundraising event by attending or contributing to the evening and my thanks go to all involved in making the event such a success.”

Georgia Carr and George Shrapnell are both young performers who have become involved with the theatre’s summer youth projects.

The pair entertained guests by putting on a number from a previous youth production.

Georgia said: “Getting involved with Mayflower Engaged has been one of the best things to happen to me.

“I have had the chance to work with an amazing professional team and meet other young people who share my passion for performance.”