The UK's most welcoming theatres have been announced in an award voted on by the public.

There are 12 regional winners for the title of the UK's Most Welcoming Theatre 2017, run as part of the annual UK Theatre Awards for theatre outside of London's West End.

This year, over 172 theatres competed for the title and over 40,000 votes were cast - more than in any previous year.

The overall winner will be announced at the UK Theatre Awards ceremony on Sunday 15 October.

Last year's overall winner was The Mill at Sonning (pictured), which is a finalist again. The full list is as follows:

East Midlands: Nottingham Playhouse

East of England: Queen's Theatre, Hornchurch, east London

London: Orange Tree Theatre

North East: Newcastle Theatre Royal

Northern Ireland: Grand Opera House, Belfast

North West: Theatre by the Lake, Keswick

Scotland: Pitlochry Festival Theatre, Perthshire

South East: The Mill at Sonning, Berkshire

South West: Wyvern Theatre, Swindon

Wales: New Theatre, Cardiff

West Midlands: Lichfield Garrick

Yorkshire and the Humber: Alhambra Theatre, Bradford

Julian Bird, chief executive of UK Theatre, said: "The response to this year's vote has been incredible, showing how valuable theatres are to communities across the UK. It takes a skilled and dedicated team to run a venue. This award gives the public a chance to recognise that, and say thank you."

FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE MOST WELCOMING THEATRE AWARDS