British lyricist Sir Sir Tim Rice and Glastonbury Festival founder Michael Eavis have been named patrons of Arts Taunton, a charity which aims to transform Taunton Deane, Somerset, into a 'centre for world class arts'.

Rice commented 'This is great news for Arts Taunton. Since their foundation, they have significantly raised the profile of the arts not only in Taunton but in Somerset as a whole. Now that charitable status has been achieved I’m sure that their influence will be felt more effectively and more widely than ever before'.