DAME Joan Bakewell (pictured)has thrown her weight behind a campaign for a Dennis Potter theatre in the Forest.

Melvyn Bragg was the first to sign up as a patron of the community project to save the Forest Theatre and other facilities at Five Acres.

Now the 79-year-old grand dame of TV has joined him.

Well-known BBC journalist Jeremy Cooke, who lives in the Wye Valley, has also added his weight to the campaign.

Originally from Lydney, the former Whitecross pupil has toured the world and is regularly seen on national news bulletins.