Theatre gives Lancashire residents the chance to win a piece of history from Lord of the Rings star McKellen

Sir Ian McKellen signs the staff used in the Dukes outdoor theatre production of The  Hobbit. A lottery will give fans the chance to win the signed staffSir Ian McKellen signs the staff used in the Dukes outdoor theatre production of The  Hobbit. A lottery will give fans the chance to win the signed staff
Sir Ian McKellen signs the staff used in the Dukes outdoor theatre production of The Hobbit. A lottery will give fans the chance to win the signed staff
A Lancashire theatre is giving film fans the chance to win a piece of history.

The Dukes Theatre, in Lancaster, has launched its “Gandalf’s Staff Lottery”, a chance for fans to win a unique piece of Dukes park show history – complete with an exciting addition.The lucky winner will receive the handcrafted staff used in the Lancaster venue’s award-winning 2016 outdoor production of The Hobbit.And, to make it even more special, the staff has been signed by Gandalf himself – Sir Ian McKellen, star of the smash-hit Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies.Victoria Firth, interim director of The Dukes, said: “We’re delighted to give our audiences and fans of Sir Ian the chance to own this one of a kind piece of Dukes history, and raise much-needed funds for our park show at the same time.”As well as the staff, the winner will also receive a framed photograph of the moment Sir Ian signed the staff during his visit to The Dukes earlier this year.All proceeds from the lottery will go towards the theatre’s park show fund-raising campaign, which aims to raise £85,000 to purchase new technical equipment to secure the long term future of the ‘play in the park’.The lottery is open now and tickets can be purchased until Wednesday, September 18, with the winner being announced on Hobbit Day on Sunday, September 22.Tickets for the lottery are available to any over 16s costing £5, and can be purchased at www.dukes-lancaster.org, by calling the box office on 01524 598500 or by popping in. Full terms and conditions apply.