THE man who spearheaded the campaign to reopen an East Dorset theatre is stepping out of the spotlight after 13 years.

Malcolm Angel, general manager at the Tivoli in Wimborne, says he wants to spend more time with his family. He leaves at the end of January.

Malcolm was town mayor in 1989 when he put forward the idea of turning the neglected West Borough auditorium - which had been closed for ten years - into a top attraction.

"I can't believe it's been so long since I first brushed aside the cobwebs and wandered around the derelict shell of what is now a superb 500-seater theatre and cinema," he said.

"It made me so angry so see a beautiful venue falling into such a state of disrepair. That drove me into doing something about it."

A massive £250,000 fund-raising campaign was launched and, over the next four years, a stalwart team of volunteers worked on transforming the building.

"We opened on November 23, 1993, one of the coldest nights of the year," recalled Malcolm, 52.

Since then he has brought a diverse programme to many sold-out houses.

Big names to have appeared include Val Doonican, Lenny Henry, Prunella Scales and Penelope Keith.

"What I like most is that one day there could be a star on stage and the next it could be the first school rehearsing for its Christmas show," said Malcolm.

"I'm so proud that many of our star performers genuinely get a kick from working the Tivoli stage and are full of praise for the theatre.

"The word in the business is that you get a good responsive audience in Wimborne and that really is what has made it all worthwhile for me."

And Malcolm added: "It's going to be hard leaving, but I feel the Tivoli now has a firm enough foundation for me to hand over to someone else, supported by an excellent box office, technical and management team and trustees."