Panto star Brendan Cole has urged those heading to see the show tomorrow to take a tin of food along for The Big Christmas Food Appeal
His Majesty’s Theatre, The Tivoli Theatre and P&J Live in Aberdeen have thrown their weight behind our appeal, which aims to tackle food poverty and reduce the number of families going hungry this winter.
Each of the venues is supporting a night of collections, and now Strictly star Brendan – who is starring at Captain James Hook at HMT’s show – has directly appealed to audiences to help.
Those heading to see The Pantomime Adventures of Peter Panto on Thursday, December 15 at 7pm are urged to take a tin of food, bag of food or some toiletries with them.
Members of the Big Christmas Food Appeal team will be manning a stall in the foyer before the show, and will add any donation made to the crates piling up for foodbank charity Cfine.
‘Finding the spirit of the season can be hard’
Appearing as Captain James Hook in a video backing the appeal, Brendan said: “Here at Peter Pan in His Majesty’s Theatre we are delighted to be able to spread Christmas joy and laughter.
“Sadly, though, for many people finding the spirit of the season can be hard this year as the cost-of-living crisis takes a heavy toll on households with soaring food and energy prices.
“However, you can help everyone enjoy the magic of Christmas this year by supporting the Big Christmas Food Appeal.
“Any donation you make, large or small, be it a donation of cash or food, will make a huge difference to vulnerable families.”
His backing comes just a day after Gothenburg Great Willie Miller praised the “generosity of the north-east” as he urged people to support the appeal.
Aberdeen Performing Arts’ communications executive Rachel Campbell said: “Shining a light on the amazing groups, charities and volunteers who work so hard to tackle food poverty, The Big Christmas Food Appeal is a fantastic cause and we are delighted to support with a collection point at HMT this Thursday.
“Whether you are coming to panto on Thursday or just passing by, please pop in to leave a donation.”
‘Help spread some festive cheer’
Those seeing Goldilocks And The Three Bears at The Tivoli will also have a chance to support the worthwhile cause on Tuesday, December 20.
Again, the appeal team will have a table set up for audiences going in to donate non-perishable food or toiletries.
Marketing director Christina Camillo said The Tivoli was “delighted to support such a fantastic appeal”.
She added: “We know how difficult it will be for a lot of families this Christmas so we want to do what we can to help support these families in need.
“We hope you can help us spread some festive cheer by donating what you can for those who are struggling this winter.”
Please note that the panto collection teams can only accept food and toiletries – not cash.
Proclaimers fans can also get involved
For fans heading to The Proclaimers gig at P&J Live on Saturday, there will also be the chance to get involved.
Staff will have collection buckets for those queuing, while QR codes taking supporters straight to The Big Christmas Food Appeal’s JustGiving page will also be displayed around the venue.
Louise Stewart, interim managing director at P&J Live, said the appeal was an “important initiative”.
She said: “With the cost of living crisis ongoing, more people than ever before are feeling a devastating knock-on effect.
“We hope that, in some way, we can support as many households as we can. As a venue, it is important to us to help our local community in any way we can, especially at Christmas.
“Through collections at our live events, we hope the generosity of our staff and customers will make a difference and spread some Christmas cheer – something that everyone deserves.”
The Big Christmas Food Appeal
Throughout 2022, the Big Food Appeal team has been working hard to debunk some of the myths around foodbanks and make it as easy as possible for people to get help.
For the festive period, we’ve teamed up again with Cfine to collect donations – both financial and food – as the charity serves the whole of Grampian and the Highlands.
As well as donating through our JustGiving page, there’s an Amazon shopping list or a number of drop-off points in Aberdeen and Inverness.
We’re also keen to highlight the work of groups working tirelessly to support their communities this winter.