Over £28,000 has been raised by generous donors for Birmingham Hippodrome to expand their work with over 5,250 young people in Birmingham and the West Midlands in 2020.
A challenging £20,000 target was set when the theatre joined The Big Give Christmas Challenge campaign, which saw donations doubled for just seven days between the 3 – 10 December. The £20,000 target was beaten in record time, enabling the venue to raise further donations throughout the week to support an additional 1,250 young people from the original target to support 4,000 young people.
The donations raised will support the Hippodrome Education Network activity, which enables young people from areas of low-social economic engagement to visit shows, participate in workshops and develop career opportunities in the creative industries.
Rachael Magson, Head of Fundraising at Birmingham Hippodrome said: “A huge thanks to everyone who donated to our Christmas Challenge this year. You’ve helped us smash our target and bring the magic of live theatre to even more young people than we hoped over the next year.”
Individual supporters and local businesses were equally generous, with donations kindly contributed by Darwin Escapes, DRP Group, IMI plc Charitable Trust and Professional Polishing Services Ltd. Further donations were also generously gifted by The Bishop of Birmingham Charitable Trust and The Patrick Trust.
Zaylie-Dawn Wilson, Head of Learning & Participation at Birmingham Hippodrome added: “To raise over £28,000 in just seven days is phenomenal and we are truly grateful for these donations which will help us to continue our work with young people and transform lives.”
For more information about Birmingham Hippodrome’s HEN network visit https://www.birminghamhippodrome.com/hippodrome-projects/learning-participation/learning-schools-colleges/
