Mum to stage plays in memory of late teenage son

A mum is preparing to stage the last play her son watched before he was killed in a crash last year.

Cat Hunter, from Nantwich, Cheshire, set up Mokushla Theatre Company in memory of her son Luke, who died in a road accident on 14 July, aged 19.

She will stage murder mystery Room 13 and prequel The Hartley Wedding, both written by her, at Reaseheath Hall in Nantwich on 26 April.

Ms Hunter told BBC Radio Stoke the nerves were "starting to set in a little bit" but the team was "absolutely buzzing".

"Obviously for me personally it's going to be quite emotional but I'm going to try and put that aside to focus on entertaining people and having fun," she added.

Ms Hunter said she was having a mixture of good and bad days but was determined to drive the project forward rather than "dwell on all the miserable stuff".

She wrote Room 13 a number of years ago and it was staged by Alsager Community Theatre last year, which was the last time Mr Hunter watched a play.

Ms Hunter described her son, who worked as a chef, as a "loveable blonde bimbo", and said hundreds of people attended his funeral.

The project had been a positive distraction for her since his death, she said, and it helped to keep her brain active.

"I think any parent that's been through any loss is looking for something to fill the void," she added.

"It's a really, really good, fun way to fill those moments when you don't want to be thinking about things."

A second performance of both plays will also be held at the Civic in Alsager, Cheshire, on 10 May.

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