Amidst asbestos removal work, shows at The Forum theatre in Barrow are being successfully relocated.

The Coro in Ulverston has been able to host eight events so far, with a further five being accommodated within other spaces at The Forum, including the Studio and Ante Room.

The Forum previously announced that the theatre space would be closed for up to six months while specialist work is undertaken to remove asbestos.

The asbestos was detected in the roofing area, affected by a recent water leak.

No traces of asbestos were found in air quality tests and there is no evidence suggesting any exposure risk to the staff, members of the public, performers or stage crew at any time.

Performances transferred to The Coro include the upcoming sold-out appearance of Pop Idol champion Will Young, the Barrow Operatic Dramatic Society's rendition of 'Everybody's Talking about Jamie', South Lakes Rock School's show in October and Status Quo frontman Francis Rossi's visit in November.

Councillor Virginia Taylor, Westmorland and Furness Council’s cabinet member for sustainable communities and localities, said: "The team at the Forum have been working incredibly hard to contact promoters and event organisers to discuss options and to work with them to find a way through this difficult situation."

All but one of the switched events are on the original dates and original tickets remain valid.

Ticket holders for the affected shows have been updated about the new arrangements.

The Forum team is exploring solutions for other shows and events scheduled, involving potential re-location or re-scheduling.

Councillor Taylor said: "We have been contacting ticket holders as soon as we have information confirmed about their event and answering lots of the inevitable questions and queries that have arisen since the announcement about the theatre space closure.

“We’d like to thank people for their understanding and patience while we work through this process and, if you have a ticket for a show and haven’t heard from us yet, please bear with us – we are still in discussions with a number of promoters and we are optimistic that we can find alternative ways for events to continue and we’ll only cancel as a very last resort.’’

While the theatre space and backstage area at The Forum remain off-limits, the rest of the venue, including the café and studio/meeting rooms, is unaffected and will continue to serve the public and host events.

For updates on events, ticket holders and interested audience members are advised to check The Forum website.