Hospital staff celebrate raising over £8,600 for Hampshire charity with annual pantomime
Staff at Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust are celebrating raising £8,633 following their pantomime performance this January in aid of Hampshire Hospitals Charity.
The annual show always boasts a hospital-themed twist on a classic and this year ‘The Sound of Mucus’ was performed at Basingstoke’s The Haymarket on Saturday 6 January.
Made up almost entirely of Hampshire Hospitals staff, the 50-strong cast performed on stage for over 740 people across two showings. The evening show sold out in just 48 hours!
For months leading up to the pantomime, staff spent hours rehearsing lines, songs and dance routines after finishing their shifts as doctors, nurses and other healthcare support staff caring for patients at Basingstoke, Winchester, Andover and Alton hospitals
Every year, the pantomime donates all proceeds to the trust’s own Hampshire Hospitals Charity, the charity supporting its hospitals with investing in equipment, refurbishing patient areas, funding staff wellbeing initiatives and so much more.
On the day, Hampshire Hospitals’ chief executive Alex Whitfield, The Worshipful the Mayor of Basingstoke and Deane as well as many families, friends and colleagues at Hampshire Hospitals could be seen enjoying the show.
Alex Whitfield says: “It was a real joy to see so many of our colleagues both up on stage and in the audience having such a great time – the show really was fantastic!
“Fundraisers like these help our charity to further improve and enhance hospital services for our population so a huge thank you to all involved.”
Julie Jones directs and produces the pantomime each year during her retirement after spending over 20 years working at the Winchester and Basingstoke hospitals.
Julie says: “The cast worked so hard to bring this production to life - it was truly wonderful to see it all come together on the day after months of rehearsals!
“We all have so much fun doing this and I hope we can continue to do so for many years to support our brilliant hospital charity.”