Over £15,000 raised for Long-Covid appeal

In 2021 The Bristol Hippodrome partnered with National Friendly and Southmead Hospital Charity in a bid to raise money for Long-Covid research. They are delighted that after 12 weeks of fundraising £15,013 has been raised.

The symptoms of Long-Covid can be wide-ranging, long-lasting and for some, life-changing. An estimated 1.3 million people in the UK have now reported having Long-Covid. * 

Adrian Brown, Community and Events Manager at Southmead Hospital Charity says - “If we want to control Coronavirus, we must develop our knowledge of how the virus spreads, the symptoms it causes and its long-term impact. The research happening here at Southmead will play an important role in that.
National Friendly and The Bristol Hippodrome know just how important it is to support the local community they serve and we are incredibly grateful for their support.”

Kurtis Reece, PR and Corporate Partnerships Executive says, “Helping people to prepare for life’s uncertainties is at the heart of what we do. National Friendly has been insuring people’s health and providing them with protection for over 150 years, looking after those around us, especially within the Bristol community is the very essence of who we are.
“Together, we have raised a fantastic amount which will help fund vital research to help improve the health, safety and well-being of those currently living with and for those caring for people with Long-Covid within our community”.

“Despite the Covid-19 pandemic, our audiences have continued to give generously to a worthy cause that will make a real difference to those suffering from Long Covid in our community and beyond. The majority of fundraising took place during the festive season, when we welcomed record numbers through our doors, highlighting the public’s unwavering appetite for live entertainment.” – Ben Phillips, Theatre Director at The Bristol Hippodrome.

Money has been raised from online donations, collection buckets and tap to donate machines that have been situated throughout The Bristol Hippodrome since November last year. Pantomime stars Lesley Joseph and Andy Ford also got involved in the fundraising efforts by recording voice messages that were played at the theatre throughout the festive season and asking audience members to donate at the end of each performance of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, (The Bristol Hippodromes first pantomime since Covid hit and which had over 80k customers attending over the 4 weeks. 

Image: The cast of Snow White, left to right (Rob Rinder), (Lesley Joseph), (Kurtis Reece - PR & Strategic Partnerships Executive at National Friendly), (Charlotte Haines), (Adrian Brown - Community & Events Manager at Southmead Hospital Charity), (Dale Mathurin), (Andy Ford).

Anyone wishing to contribute to this fantastic cause can still do so by visiting    https://southmeadhospitalcharity.enthuse.com/cf/bristol-hippodrome-national-friendly to donate online.