A CHESTER theatre company has received its largest grant yet from Arts Council England.

Theatre in the Quarter, the city’s leading community and professional company, has been awarded £70,000 to deliver a diverse programme throughout 2012.

Plans include a large-scale community production of Unsinkable, in partnership with The Hammond School, a giant anthem with Cheshire choirs, schoolchildren, giants and musicians, the Opera of the Chester Giants in the summer and a Christmas production of Dickens’s A Christmas Carol.

Artistic director Matt Baker said: “2012 is going to be a very exciting year. Already, in the first 10 days of January, I have engaged with more than 600 people across Cheshire in various Theatre in the Quarter projects – it is breathtaking.”

The first project, the anthem Across the World, led by the Chester choir A Handbag of Harmonies, will be performed at Chester amphitheatre on March 3, as part of the national BBC Music Nation celebrations in the build-up to the London 2012 festival.

Unsinkable, a musical to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic, will be at the Hammond School from March 28-31 and a Chester Mystery Plays in Miniature project will be produced in the summer.

Matt added: “Partnerships are very important to us. We seek to create opportunities for young people to work alongside professionals.

“It’s an honour to go into schools and work with talented children and to get out into the community meeting choirs and musicians.”

Theatre in the Quarter’s 2011 production of Star of Wonder will be part of Blackpool’s Showzam festival next month.

To take part in Unsinkable contact Julie Elston on 07747 110933.