Children and families supported by Acorns Children’s Hospice were given the red carpet treatment when they were invited to a special performance of Joseph and his Technicolour Dreamcoat at Birmingham Hippodrome.
The technicolour dream come true saw children and families treated to an afternoon of music, singing and dancing as the stage came alive for the story of Joseph and his riveting rainbow coat.
The lucky families received VIP treatment including a meet and greet with the spell-binding show’s narrator Anna Campkin and co-stars Gemma Pipe and Amber Kennedy.
The magical performance was among the highlights of a dazzling theatre experience which included colourful crafts and a sing-a-long with the cast.
Sarah Jasper, Family Services Manager at Acorns Children’s Hospice, said: “We’re incredibly grateful to Birmingham Hippodrome and the cast of Joseph for inviting some of the children and families we support for a fun-packed day out at the theatre.
“The cast and Hippodrome staff went out of their way to make sure it was a magical experience – as dazzling and colourful as Joseph’s coat. Our families loved every minute of it.
“At Acorns we’re all about creating special memories and making every moment count for the children and families we care for and this was a technicolour dream!”
Chris Sudworth, Director of Artistic Programming at Birmingham Hippodrome, said: “It’s always a pleasure to work with a fellow charity in the Midlands and to welcome the amazing families supported by Acorns Children’s Hospice.
“Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat was the perfect show for a day of colourful crafts and fun activities around which to build a day that hopefully the families will never forget.”
Acorns Children’s Hospice provides specialist palliative care to children and young people with life limiting and life threatening conditions, as well as support for their families.
In the past year, the charity has cared for more than 780 children across Birmingham and the West Midlands and supported more than 1,220 families, including those who are bereaved.
To find out how you can support Acorns, please visit www.acorns.org.uk/suppport
ENDS
Photo caption: Children and families supported by Acorns Children’s Hospice enjoyed a magical Joseph-themed day out at Birmingham Hippodrome.
For more information or for interview, photograph or filming opportunities, contact the PR and Communications team:
David Chamberlain: 01564 825020 / 07817 612422 / david.chamberlain@acorns.org.uk
Nicki Robinson: 01564 825062 / 07814 302153 / nicki.robinson@acorns.org.uk
Notes to editors:
About Acorns Children’s Hospice
Due to the sensitive nature of Acorns care services it refrains from using the words ‘terminal’ or ‘terminally ill’ in its press releases and public communications when describing the children who use Acorns and the conditions that they have. Instead, Acorns uses the words ‘life limited’, ‘life limiting’, or ‘life threatening’. Acorns kindly requests that you respect this in your communications when referring to Acorns Children’s Hospice. Acorns children have a lot of living to do. Thank you.
• It costs £27,000 every day to run Acorns services providing care for children and support for their families. The charity relies heavily on donations to fund the majority of its activities.
• To find out more about Acorns, please visit www.acorns.org.uk
About Birmingham Hippodrome
Birmingham Hippodrome is an independent, not-for-profit, registered charity (No. 510842) welcoming an average 500,000 visits annually making it the most popular single auditorium in the UK. Birmingham Royal Ballet and DanceXchange are resident partners; the theatre presents all of Welsh National Opera’s repertoire, and welcomes the best in international dance, major touring dramas, West End musicals and one of the UK’s biggest pantomimes. It also houses the 200-seat Patrick Studio, with extensive conference and event facilities, and its own restaurant.
As a charity with no public revenue subsidy, Birmingham Hippodrome earns its share of box office and receives generous support from the business community through sponsorship and other partnerships; from individuals through donations and memberships; and from grant-making Trusts for special programming and infrastructure projects. It is a major employer and plays a leading role in the Southside Business Improvement District.
HIPPODROME PROJECTS, a critical part of our work as a registered charity, helps achieve our ambition to deliver One Million Hippodrome Moments every year. We deliver three strands of work:
• Community: indoor and outdoor live performance and transformational community work, including festivals such as B-SIDE (our annual Hip-Hop festival), Summer in Southside and Chinese New Year.
• Learning: a broad range from early years through to life-long learning, through schools and colleges and community groups across the region; plus access initiatives, talks and tours and new projects such as TEDxBrum.
• Artistic Ambition: investment in artistic diversity from a main stage musical to a new Patrick Studio show. We support local artists as an incubator of new ideas and talent, and bring the best international companies to Birmingham.
Hippodrome Projects is a critical part of our work as a registered charity, helping us with our ambitions to deliver One Million Hippodrome Moments.
