I had a call last week from a Mrs Jo Beale, mum to Grace, four, and Emma, ten, who has special needs.

Both Jo’s daughters are members of the Theatre Shed, an inclusive theatre company for children and young adults, regardless of their background or ability and Jo tells me she would be "devastated" if the Shed were to close down.

Theatre Shed is putting on its own musical, Lifted, at Chesham’s Elgiva theatre over Easter weekend, in a bid to raise enough money to keep the company on the road.

It is marking its tenth anniversary with a production it hopes will raise at least £2,000, enough to fund its work for another term and with luck, ensure the survival of the company.

As its title suggests, the production has "lifted" ideas from anyone who has ever been involved in one of Theatre Shed’s theatrical productions over the past decade and according to artistic director Viv Berry, promises to be "a magical production" that fulfils the dreams of every cast member.

"There’s a teenage girl who has always longed to play a princess and a 24-year-old man with Downs syndrome who has always dreamed of playing Elvis, so we’ve included them," Viv tells me.

As the mother myself of a child with a minor learning disability, I desperately want resources such as Theatre Shed to survive, so I’m appealing to readers to please go to support the show and help keep Theatre Shed going.

Tickets for Lifted at 1.30pm or 6pm on Saturday, April 4, or 3pm on Sunday, April 5, (price £10 and £12) are available from the Elgiva box office, telephone 01494 582900.