A COUPLE from Rhyl were honoured with a lifetime achievement award for their contribution to drama in Wales.

John Williams, 85, and wife Stroma received a certificate to mark the award after a performance of “Guards! Guards!” by the Rhyl Liberty Players at the town’s Little Theatre on March 30.

The news come as a total surprise to both John and Stroma, who have each been members of the Rhyl Liberty Players for 60 years, and were once referred to “the Redgraves of Rhyl” during a radio interview.

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He said: “At the end of the performance, the chairman of Clwyd Community Theatre Association sneaked up quickly on to the stage to make an announcement that Stroma and I had been awarded a Drama Association of Wales lifetime achievement award for our long, sustained commitment and contribution to drama in Wales.

“It should have been presented as part of the British Final Festival of One-Act Plays, held last June in Rhyl.

“Unfortunately, my wife and I went down with COVID, and had to cancel our appearance at that particular time of the festival.

“We didn’t know they were going to present an award, of course, but they had to put it away for another time, and that time appeared on Thursday night, when we were awarded the certificate!

“We were absolutely thrilled to bits. It was a complete and utter surprise; we weren’t expecting anything like that. It was a lovely moment, really.”

Rhyl Liberty Players is an award-winning community theatre company run entirely by volunteers and based in Rhyl.