Did we have a good time? Oh yes we did!

Sunday, 14 January saw the final two performances of the Theatre Royal’s annual pantomime packed out with almost 700 West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust staff and their guests, thanks to an amazing donation from a local businessman – David Mulley, owner of Anglia Suspended Ceilings.

David wanted to thank the Trust and its staff for the care shown to him and his family.

In order to raise the money to buy the two performances of Robin Hood, David organised two quiz nights at the theatre, one in 2021 and another last year. Along with support from his friends and business associates David incredibly raised more than £10,000.

My WiSH Charity worked closely with the theatre to allocate the tickets and we are thrilled that almost everyone who put in a request was successful.

To see the theatre full of familiar faces with their families and loved ones was just fantastic. In true panto tradition, there was lots of cheers, boos and ‘it’s behind you’s!

Sue Smith, our head of fundraising, had a quiet word in the ear of the panto dame, Little Joan, played by Chris Clarkson, and had pre-planned seats for two unsuspecting audience members.

Nick MacDonald, executive director of resources, and Marcus Powling, business information officer, found themselves having to publicly declare their undying love to Little Joan and were picked on regularly throughout the whole performance.

Thank you Nick and Marcus for playing along and coping with the public ridicule so graciously, and in true panto spirit!

The cast were amazing, adapting their show especially for the audience which, after already performing the show 81 times, must have been really tricky.

We’re pleased to have received lots of wonderful message from our colleagues at the Trust, thanking us for our involvement. We really appreciate it!

And finally, a huge thank you to David for this wonderful gift, the theatre for helping with this project and to the Robin Hood cast for such an fantastic and memorable day.