AFTER a quarter of a century delighting audiences across the globe, a beloved Bury theatre company may have taken its final curtain call.

Feelgood Theatre Productions has announced that after 25 years of pushing the boundaries of contemporary performance, last weekend’s show could be its last.

With its funding streams dissipating and personal factors coming to the fore for its founder, the world may well have just heard Feelgood’s swan song.

Throughout its history the award-winning company has performed a diverse collection of productions on the national and international stage at venues from the West End, stately homes and museums, to African villages, forests, aircraft hangers and cliff tops.

Always ambitious, Feelgood’s very first play saw the cast arrive aboard a Second World War bomber, and this hunger to push boundaries has taken the company all the way to the perhaps the most prestigious theatre of all ­— the House of Lords ­— to perform an anti-slavery play.

However it is in the great outdoors where Feelgood comes into its own, notably with its ever popular Heaton Park performances and the proud boast that “rain doesn’t stop play”.

The hardworking outfit is creation of artistic director Caroline Clegg. A born and bred Bury lass and farmer’s daughter, Caroline was born with a passion for performing. She said: “Over the last 25 years we have really been loved by the people of Manchester and have received many accolades and awards for our work.

“We have helped so many youngsters and been an inspiration to change lives, which was my intention in setting up the company all those years ago.”

But despite the plaudits, success and always satisfied audiences Feelgood has never had a regular funding stream and so has had to rely on bidding wars, charm and sometimes even begging for much needed cash from larger benefactors.

Over the years these smaller and more traditional funding streams have steadily dried up and it is very much thanks to Caroline that Feelgood has managed to soldier on.

Sadly Caroline is now facing health battles of her own, after being diagnosed with temporal arthritis last year. She said: “Lately we have felt the city to be a much more hostile environment for small arts organisations like ours, with support waning and over the last few years it has been a real challenge to keep our heads above water. Now with my personal issues I really don’t know how much longer we can go on.

“We even had a shared long-term vision to build a theatre in the park, a cultural space for world-class theatre, music, dance and open-air activities to rival that in London. Heaton Park is cherished by so many and our aim was to build a lasting legacy to ensure that theatre can be accessed by everyone in that park. Now I’m unsure if this vision will ever see fruition.”

However, before at last exiting to the wings, Feelgood made one final moving performance in tribute to fallen heroes and servicemen.

On Remembrance Sunday Feelgood gave a second showing of These Days – The Manchester Peace Song Cycle at Manchester Cathedral.

Commissioned by Caroline last year to commemorate 100 years of war and peace, the production features lyrics by poets including Tony Walsh, Simon Armitage and Wilfred Owen alongside specially composed music ­— with all royalties going to Forever Manchester.

After the remarkable, poignant and emotional performance, we can only hope this his not Feelgood’s final farewell.