Volunteers of a Rhyl institution are buoyant after receiving a vote of confidence guaranteeing its place in the town's future.

Rhyl Little Theatre, on Vale Road, has received a 25 year lease from Denbighshire County Council (DCC), offer the community hub the prospect of being eligible to receive significant investment for the first time in more than 20 years.

The decision to grant the long lease for the venue puts organisers in the position to to seek grant funding for a £150,000 refurbishment, including the installation of an affordable heating system, new the toilet facilities and the completion of a new roof.

Neil Taylor, Little Theatre secretary, said: "Our last long lease expired in 2005, but you need to at least 10 years left to run to be eligible for any kind of funding.

"When it came to re-negotiating the lease back then, there was talk from DCC of possibly evicting us, and we were only able to secure a 12 year lease - which again isn't sufficient to apply for funding.

"That they've decided to give us the long lease shows how much goodwill there is in the town and how much our relationship with DCC has improved over the years."

The decision will be welcome news for the numerous groups that rely on the venue to stage shows and rehearse, including the Rhyl Liberty Players, the Wicked Cinema, The Rhyl Children's Theatre School and the Rhyl & District Musical Theatre Company.

In the years since the last injection of cash into the building, the Little Theatre has been maintained solely by the efforts of a small group of committed volunteers.

Rhiannon Wyn Hughes, a Little Theatre volunteers said: “It’s a recognition of the incredibly committed people who have worked so hard on the building and kept the faith for all these often difficult years.

“It’s also a recognition of the importance of the venue to the town, it really feels like DCC is banging the drum for Rhyl and all the talent we have here once again."

The theatre has been pivotal in fostering talent from across North Wales, including the careers of Rhyl Hollywood director Sara Sugarman and Notting Hill star Rhyl Ifans, who hails from Ruthin, and was named Theatre Club President in 2012.

The historic venue enjoys national importance as the first custom built children's theatre in the UK, when it was opened in 1963, which has seen Emlyn Williams, Sir Richard Burton, Sir Harry Seacombe and Meredith Edwards join Ifans in the role of President over the years.

Ms Hughes added: "Getting a long lease is great news, it will allow all the people who have worked so hard in and on the theatre to add improvements. We have Bafta award winners stopping by the theatre, and other really remarkable things planned, so it’s only fitting we welcome people from all over the UK to Rhyl with a community venue we can be proud of.”

“I think it’s part of a larger trend in the regeneration of Rhyl, and the decision to offer a long lease shows that the creative industry is as much a key part of that future as other projects.

“We’re absolutely delighted, there’s a real buoyant feeling about the place now and this is a testament to how much bigger the theatre is getting."

A spokesperson from DCC said: "The council has agreed on the lease with the Rhyl Little Theatre, with a view that a lease of this nature will assist them in obtaining grant funding to carry out improvements to the building."