The cast of the His Majesty’s Theatre pantomime paid a visit to the Royal Aberdeen Children’s Hospital today to spread some festive cheer.
Cast members Greg McHugh as Gary: Tank Commander, Alan McHugh (Dame Trot), Paul J Corrigan (Pat the Cow), Danielle Jam (The Spirit of the Beans) Julie Coombe (Mrs Blunderbore), Michael Karl Lewis (Jack Trot) and Jemma Ferries (Princess Jill) spent time visiting the wards and speaking with patients and staff.
Aberdeen Performing Arts chief executive, Sharon Burgess said: “The Archie Foundation do incredible work to support children and families alongside NHS colleagues all year round and we were delighted and privileged to play a small part by helping to spread some special Christmas magic on the wards today with our wonderful panto cast.”
Alan McHugh said: “I’ve been privileged to have been making the annual ‘panto’ visit to the hospital for many years now, and it’s a heartwarming and humbling experience. To see the magnificent work done by the staff and the bravery and resilience of the kids and their families is truly inspiring, and makes us realise how fortunate we are.
“Our contribution seems very small compared to the needs of the children, but if all we can do is help to put a smile on their faces for a wee while, that makes it all worthwhile.”
The visit was a key part of The Archie Foundation’s Advent Calendar campaign, which began on December 1 and will see the children, families and staff at the hospital enjoying a huge range of special treats, fun activities and exciting experiences.
Paula Cormack, chief executive of The Archie Foundation, said: “As always, the visit from the HMT panto cast was a real highlight and the young patients absolutely loved meeting Gary: Tank Commander, Dame Trot, Jack and the other characters. They brought a huge smile to everyone’s faces and we are so grateful to the cast for visiting the hospital and taking time to meet everyone.
“The visit was part of The Archie Foundation Advent Calendar, a key part of our celebrations in the weeks before Christmas. Thanks to our supporters and partners, we are able to deliver activities, gifts and memorable experiences for children who find themselves in hospital during the festive season - and there’s also plenty of treats for their families and for the hard-working NHS Grampian staff too.”
Caroline Clark, chief nurse for Combined Child Health at NHS Grampian, added: "We all look forward to the annual visit from the panto cast and appreciate them taking the time to raise the spirits of everybody at the children's hospital. We know that relieving stress helps children and young people recover more quickly and The Archie Foundation does a fantastic job of supporting our play service team to create as much fun as possible for our families. A big thank you to all."
Visit www.archie.org/getsupport/ for more information about the practical, financial and emotional support available from The Archie Foundation.