The Lichfield Garrick and St Giles Hospice are delighted to announce that a total of £11596.00 was collected after performances of Aladdin and Crimes on the Christmas Express, smashing last year’s previous record total of £8318.16 which was raised for both charities. The monies will be split equally between the two charities to help support their work in the local community.

Both The Lichfield Garrick, which operates as a charitable trust, and, St Giles Hospice were mentioned on stage in each performance by the cast members to help raise public awareness. The Lichfield Garrick Front of House staff and cast members collected donations throughout the theatre after the shows finished.

Karen Foster, the Lichfield Garrick’s Executive Director, said: “The donations given by our very generous patrons will be used to support our work in education and community projects, allowing people to access the arts, to inspire young artists and to help address social needs through the arts. As a charity which aims to offer arts education as well as performances, this is a significant amount which will help achieve our plans. We are delighted to have been able to assist St Giles to address a very different kind of social need and offer a huge ‘thank you’ to the patrons, staff and actors who made this possible.’”

The monies kindly donated by the theatre’s patrons will go equally to support the Lichfield Garrick’s Youth Theatre and the theatre’s community outreach projects, while St Giles Hospice will use the funds to provide first class care and support to their patients in the local community.

Lesley Holmes, Lottery Development Manager from St Giles Hospice commented: “We are delighted by the incredible amount raised by the Lichfield Garrick and the generosity shown by their patrons. We are extremely grateful for the fantastic support shown towards St Giles Hospice from the Lichfield community and value our longstanding relationship with the Lichfield Garrick.”

In further news, the Lichfield Garrick is proud to announce a record breaking 36,708 patrons enjoyed the festive entertainment provided by the theatre. On top of the critically acclaimed sold out pantomime, Aladdin, which ran in the main auditorium, the theatre’s Studio was home to two further Christmas shows, Crimes on the Christmas Express and Home for Christmas. In a busy festive period, which ran from the last week of November 2017 until the first week of January 2018, The Lichfield Garrick put on a total of 127 performances across it’s two spaces.

Karen Foster added: “December is the busiest month for the theatre and I am delighted that the theatre could welcome so many people during this period.  I would like to thank our staff – who work incredibly hard during December – and the actors who put on superlative performances day after day.  Our pantomime is for the whole family and I am particularly proud that we managed to raise sponsorship for to allow 16 deserving families to visit the theatre this year.”

The Lichfield Garrick has recently announced it’s 2018 festive pantomime, Dick Whittington. The fun family friendly show sees the return of the comical duo, Sam Rabone and Ben Thornton, who have wowed and delighted Lichfield audiences for the past two years. The duo are promising more comedy, more slosh and more costumes than ever before.

Dick Whittington runs at the Lichfield Garrick from Friday 30 November to Monday 31 December 2018, with a variety of schools, matinee and evening performances. Prices start from £15 for children and £19.50 for adults, and can be booked online at www.lichfieldgarrick.com or by calling the Box Office on 01543 412121. Tickets are already selling incredibly fast and early booking is advised. The theatre will be announcing further cast members later in the year.