Two famous faces with strong ties to Richmond Borough will be the brand-new patrons of a local arts centre, Nub News can reveal.

In a major coup for The Landmark Arts Centre, writer and producer Jed Mercurio (of Line Of Duty) and actor Amanda Root (The Iron Lady, Persuasion) have both joined as patrons.

"The Landmark hasn't had Patrons for some years and we decided to reintroduce the concept," said Martin Nicholds, Chair of the Trustees.

"We want to bring in different voices and influences to support us in the next steps in our development as an arts centre.

"It's important that we reflect the broad range of arts and engage with a wide section of the community and having a group of Patrons will help us achieve that.

"I'm delighted that Jed and Amanda have agreed and look forward to their support."

Jed Mercurio is one of Britain's most successful and high-profile TV writers. Best known as the creator of the hit BBC shows Bodyguard and Line of Duty, Mercurio's support will be a boon for the centre.

Last year the centre got a boost as Mercurio publicly supported its fundraising campaign, urging his substantial Twitter following to donate to the appeal as the centre struggled to stay afloat during lockdown.

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Actor Amanda Root is another great gain for the centre. Root has performed in numerous theatre, film and TV roles, including playing Anne Elliot in Roger Michell's award-winning film adaptation of 'Persuasion.'

She brought together and directed a group of well-known actors to present a socially distanced and 'in the round' adaptation of 'Playing Jane' at the Landmark, which was a great success.

Martin added: "with life increasingly getting back to normal, we have been putting a lot of thought into the Landmark's future offering and over the next year or so you can expect to see some changes.

"Having a strong team of Patrons representing the arts spectrum and other aspects of life will help we rebuild the Landmark into a vibrant arts hub for the community."