TWENTY years of stellar work at the Theatre Royal Bath has earned Kate Cross an MBE in this year's Birthday Honours list.

The director of the Egg theatre received the honour because of her work in children’s theatre and for the community of Bath.

As the driving force behind the creation of the egg theatre in Bath – one of only five dedicated theatre spaces for children and young people in the UK - she now programmes weekly live performances, overseas a vibrant production team, a theatre school for children and a wide and varied creative learning programme for both children and adults.

"I feel very touched by this award and honoured to have my work celebrated in this way," she said.

"I am very lucky to do a job in a place where my personal passions (contemporary theatre, children’s creativity, everyone’s creativity) are given the space and freedom to be fully realised.

"This honour has vested me with a renewed vigour to pursue my conviction that schools can be more creative, children do enjoy high quality theatre, as yet unknown artists can make better work and that theatre for young audiences can continue to flourish across the UK, regardless of the external forces that may make one think otherwise."