A community theatre group that helps people in recovery from substance abuse is launching a play about county lines and knife crime.

Vita Nova, based in Boscombe, Dorset, runs creative workshops to help support people with their recovery programmes.

The performance, The Wasps Nest, will debut at Black Cherry Theatre on Tuesday.

It will also head into schools across Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole from January.

Written by artistic director Dr Sharon Muiruri Coyne, the play was developed with the help of people who have experienced first-hand the impact of drug and knife crime.

The charity said it had been supported by a £22,000 donation from the Talbot Village Trust to increase its free creative workshops.

Talbot Village Trust chairman Nicholas Ashley-Cooper said: “Alcohol and drug addiction come in many forms and levels and can have a strong impact on wellbeing and mental health.

“The passion behind these productions and the quality of work produced demonstrates how arts education can be powerful and transformative.”

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