Another major sponsor has joined the Rose of Kingston, taking the total raised so far to £120,000.

Russell-Cooke Solicitors' involvement should come as no surprise to theatre-followers, after its sponsorship of Don Juan in Kingston in 2003 and the educational programme for the In the Raw season in 2004.

As a corporate sponsor, Russell-Cooke will benefit from advertising opportunities with the theatre.

Partner John Hackett said: "Russell-Cooke has a long history of supporting the Rose of Kingston.

"We have always believed that the Rose will do great things for Kingston. It will greatly enhance the arts provision in the borough for both its residents and visitors.

"We are particularly eager to continue to support the educational activities that will take place at the theatre with schools, the university and local community."

It has been a bumper couple of weeks for the theatre trust, whose fundraising efforts are separate from the council dilemma to fit the building out.

Other donations have come in from the Friends of Kingston Theatre,the Mackintosh Foundation, Golden Bottle Trust, Rowan Bentall Charitable Trust and the Tim Rice Foundation.

A spokesman said: "As a new theatre, without Lottery or Arts Council funding, all start-up and ongoing core costs for the Rose of Kingston must be raised through donations, sponsorship and investments and, once opened, box office and venue income.

"The recent support of these companies, individuals, trusts and foundations, in addition to money already received, signals a positive step towards achieving the £600,000 fundraising target."

The Rose is scheduled to open to the public in December, with the first performance due for January 2008.