Oscar-winning actress Dame Dame Judi Dench has lent her support to the Shakespeare North project, for the construction of a new Shakespeare theatre in Prescot.

In a letter penned on New Year's Eve, the Philomena star wrote 'The Shakespeare North project is important to me because I believe that great Shakespearean performances can change lives, and because I want to help offer hope, vision and an enhanced educational experience to the children of Knowsley and Liverpool. From 2020 everyone in Britain should be able to follow a Shakespeare journey from London to Stratford and then to Knowsley, but only if you join me in supporting this dream.... I have become a Patron of Shakespeare North and have donated the set of the film Shakespeare in Love to Shakespeare North'.