A COMMUNITY theatre group specialising in productions for the blind and visually impaired has been awarded a grant of £1,000.

ANVIL Audio Theatre has been given the funding as part of the It's Your Community scheme, run by communications giant 02.

The company's aim is to perform live theatre that a blind or visually impaired audience can enjoy fully without audio description or other third party assistance.

Frank Scantori, who set up the company, argues that running commentary can be irritating and that his method gives audiences a more independent experience.

Typical shows involve a specially-adapted script with atmospheric sound effects and voices moving around the theatre via a speaker system, giving movement and a sense of space.

The firm, whose name is an acronym for Audio Non-VIsuaL theatre, will use the cash to stage a new production of the Grimm fairytale Hansel and Gretel.

Their version is intended to educate children about the sounds and scents of nature and will feature songs, tactile stimuli, intense smells and bright abstract colours.

Mr Scantori said: "We do need money to put on our shows and create new ones, and awards like this are a great asset and a great incentive to give more back to our communities.

"We're looking forward to performing our show to all our audience members and seeing a good mix of blind, visually impaired and sighted people sitting back and enjoying a more enhanced show - and enjoying it as equal members of the audience."

The group's most recent show, a version of Edgar Allen Poe's gothic classic, the Tell-Tale Heart, was staged on Tuesday at the Frederic Community Centre, in Frederic Street, Walthamstow.