A FAIR lady and her star-crossed lover have raised the curtain on their dream of creating a theatre company designed to inspire young people across the conurbation.

Actress Charmaine Parkin, 26, who has played Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady and the female lead in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, and her 26-year-old husband actor Aaron have won a grant through the Prince’s Trust to help set up BOK Theatre Bournemouth.

The mother-of-one explained that B, O and K are the phonetic symbols for b, th and c, which stand for Benefit Theatre Company.

She said the purpose of the company was to educate and inspire young people and make theatre accessible to everyone.

She said that the company, which the couple hopes will eventually become a social enterprise or charity, was available to the community on a whole host of levels, including breakfast and after school clubs and holiday projects.

The money from the Prince’s Trust has been used to help get the company up and running, including paying for a digital voice recorder and a portable CD player.

“We’ve always wanted to do this,” Mrs Parkin said. “This is something we really believe in and we’re really looking forward to getting involved and working with young people.”

For more information go to the company’s website at www.boktheatrebournemouth.co.uk, email bokbok.ckp@gmail.com or telephone 07900 460596.