Over £15,000 raised for Long-Covid appeal at Southmead Hospital, Bristol

BRISTOL, U.K. - March 31, 2022 - PRLog -- The Bristol Hippodrome, which has partnered with National Friendly and Southmead Hospital Charity to raise funds for Long-Covid research, is delighted to announce that after just 12 weeks of activities, over £15,000 has now been raised. An estimated 1.3 million people in the UK have reported having Long-Covid, the symptoms of which can be wide-ranging, long-lasting and for some, life-changing.

"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.

Kurtis Reece, PR and Corporate Partnerships Executive at National Friendly said, "We are delighted to have contributed to this important charity work in our community. Through our partnership, we have been able to help raise a fantastic amount which will help fund vital research to help improve the health, safety and well-being of those currently living with or caring for people with Long-Covid within our community".

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.

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 Hippodrome's first pantomime since Covid hit, which had over 80k customers attending over a four week period.

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.