Coventry's Belgrade Theatre to Bring Magic of Panto to Families Facing Financial Hardship at Christmas

Following the success of last year's Give The Gift Of Theatre campaign, Coventry's Belgrade Theatre is once again asking the people of Coventry and Warwickshire to dig deep in support of families facing financial hardship at Christmas.

Building upon the success of Give the Gift of Theatre, the Belgrade's Making Memories campaign is partnering with Coventry Foodbank to provide 400 free tickets to the theatre's annual pantomime - Beauty and the Beast.

For children and adults alike, a visit to the theatre at Christmas is a magical experience, creating memories that will last a lifetime. Unfortunately, many families across the region will miss out on the experience this year. Through the support of donors and members of the public, the Making Memories campaign aims to offer families the chance to enjoy quality time together over the festive period thereby giving more people to experience the joy, excitement and escapism that theatre can bring.

Following the success of last year's campaign, the Belgrade is aiming to raise a total of £5000.00 in 2015-16, thereby giving 100 families the opportunity to experience the magic of panto this Christmas.

Joanna Reid, the Belgrade's Executive Director said "There is nothing like the communal experience of live theatre to lift the spirits and make people feel they are having a special time. Too many people in Coventry & Warwickshire will be facing financial hardship this Christmas, when not being able to take part or not being able to give their children any kind of treat during the Festive time increases their sense of isolation. These are the people that in the past our audiences and partner businesses have been able to help take part in this great Christmas tradition. Providing free tickets to people who are struggling financially is a great way for us all to let people know that they are not alone at Christmas. I'm sure that once again the generous people and businesses in this region will help to make this a magical Christmas experience for more of our neighbours."

David Jane, the Belgrade's Development Director added, "Thanks to the incredible number of donations to our Give the Gift of Theatre campaign, in 2014, we were able to provide 400 families facing a challenging Christmas time with a well-needed treat that they won't forget. Our Making Memories campaign builds upon our activities from last year, to ensure that, whilst we can't make people's problems go away, we can help them to experience the joy, excitement and escapism that theatre can bring. Through your kind donation, they too can have a treasured memory of the magic that is the Belgrade pantomime at Christmas."

Launching on Oct 13th, Grow Your Tenner will match all online donations to Making Memories by up to £10, and monthly donations up to £10 per month for 3 months. This means (with Gift Aid) a £10 donation will generate £21.67 for the Belgrade Theatre Trust. If you chose to donate £10 a month via Direct Debit for 3 months your donation will increase to £67.50.

Your kind donation will enable the Belgrade to provide tickets for Beauty and the Beast to families facing financial hardship, offering families quality time together and the opportunity to reduce the sense of isolation that some people feel at Christmas.

The Grow Your Tenner campaign begins on Tuesday 13 October at 10am and runs until Localgiving's match fund pot runs out.

To make a donation to the Belgrade's Give The Gift Of Theatre campaign, call: 024 7684 6758 or visit www,localgiving.com/charity/belgradetheatre. All funds raised will help ensure that families who are facing financial hardship will not miss out on seeing this year's Belgrade pantomime, Beauty and the Beast.

Tickets for Beauty and the Beast are available now from the Belgrade's Box Office on 024 7655 3055 priced from £14.50 to £23.00, with child and concession tickets from £9.50. Family tickets are priced from £36 to £66 and cheaper tickets can be purchased online via www.belgrade.co.uk.

To post a comment, you must register and login.