Yorkshire Bank supports Grand Theatre and Opera North renewal programme to tune of £850,000

‘Transformation Project’ secures largest private sector backer to date

Yorkshire Bank is donating £850,000 to a much-needed modernisation programme for one of the region’s leading arts venues, Leeds Grand Theatre.

This is the largest single donation from the private sector to the most significant cultural project in the region. It brings to £2.5 million the amount raised by the ‘Transformation’ fundraising team, which is confident of reaching its £5 million target by the end of the year.

The five-year deal with Yorkshire Bank will see the Victorian theatre’s 1,500-seat auditorium named after the bank. Yorkshire will also be sponsoring productions by Opera North and its schools programme, Opera1.

The £31.5 million Transformation programme will create the first permanent home for Opera North since it was founded more than 26 years ago. On completion of phase one, visitors to the 126-year-old Leeds Grand Theatre will experience better seating, sound and disabled facilities. Behind the scenes, there will be improvements to the orchestra pit and the scenery management system.

In phase two of the works, the Assembly Rooms adjacent to the Theatre will be renovated and developed into a new multi-purpose 350-seater venue for the city.

Yorkshire Bank’s sponsorship deal was announced before a packed house for the Opera North production of “Don Giovanni”. Among the guests was Opera North’s patron, the Duke of Kent.

“Don Giovanni” was the penultimate performance by Opera North before the Theatre closes its doors in May for 12 months while phase one of the rebuilding work is under way.

Welcoming the announcement on behalf of the Transformation project, Michael Beverley, Trustee of The Opera North and Leeds Grand Theatre Development Trust and Chairman of Opera North, says: “We are delighted that Yorkshire Bank, a business so closely associated with the region, has decided to support Transformation with such a generous gift. This is a clear demonstration by one of Yorkshire's most influential businesses of how important this building project is to the region's culture.”

Glenn King, Yorkshire Bank’s General Manager for Customer Strategy and Delivery, said: “Yorkshire Bank, Leeds Grand Theatre and Opera North all have a proud heritage in Leeds and so it is fitting we should work together to help revitalise an important part of the city centre. It is a very exciting project and something we are proud to be associated with.

“Yorkshire Bank is a member of the National Australia Group, which is firmly committed to the bank and the community it serves. Our investment in the Transformation project serves to further underline that commitment and highlight our strong regional presence.”

Further information about the project is available from www.transformationatleeds.co.uk.

For more media information contact:

Peter Brown Yorkshire Bank 0113 247 2510
Richard Ashton Opera North 0113 223 3526

Photography is available from Yorkshire Bank and Opera North. Contact the above or e-mail either or

About Yorkshire Bank
Yorkshire Bank was founded in 1859 in Halifax, West Yorkshire. Today, Yorkshire Bank has more than 230 branches, a strong personal customer base and a growing business capability in the north of England and the Midlands. In 1990, Yorkshire Bank became a part of the National Australia Bank Group, an international financial services group operating across four continents and 15 countries including Australia, the United States, the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Asia. The National has an asset base of over £162bn, assets under management and administration of £29bn, assets under custody and administration of £126.6bn. With almost eight million banking and more than 2.8 million wealth management customers globally, it is ranked as one of the 50 largest banks in the world by revenue. Other members of the group in Europe include Clydesdale Bank in Glasgow. For information on Yorkshire Bank, visit our web-site at www.ybonline.co.uk

About Opera North
Opera North is England's national opera company in the North, committed to producing high quality work that entertains, informs and excites. Opera North collaborates with artists and companies working in a variety of media, including film and photographic art. Winner of the South Bank Show Award for Opera 2005, the TMA Theatre Award for Outstanding Achievement in Opera 2004, the Manchester Evening News Theatre Awards for Opera 2004, and the Audiences Yorkshire Award for Best Overall Marketing and Audience Development Campaign 2004.