Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 2024 pantomime ‘The Sound of Mucus’ raises £8,633 for the Hampshire Hospitals Charity

More than £8,600 was raised at the Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust pantomime performance last month.

The annual show is always a medically-themed twist on a panto classic and this year ‘The Sound of Mucus’ was performed at The Haymarket in Basingstoke on Saturday, January 6.

Made up almost entirely of Hampshire Hospitals staff, the 50-strong cast performed on stage for over 740 people across two showings.

The evening show sold out in just 48 hours.

For months leading up to the pantomime, staff spent hours rehearsing lines, songs and dance routines after finishing their shifts as doctors, nurses and other healthcare support staff caring for patients at Basingstoke, Winchester, Andover and Alton hospitals.

Julie Jones directs and produces the pantomime each year during her retirement after spending more than 20 years working at the Winchester and Basingstoke hospitals.

She said: “The cast worked so hard to bring this production to life. It was truly wonderful to see it all come together on the day after months of rehearsals.

“We all have so much fun doing this and I hope we can continue to do so for many years to support our brilliant hospital charity.”

Every year, the pantomime donates all proceeds – which this year came to £8,633 – to the trust’s own Hampshire Hospitals Charity, the charity supporting its hospitals with investing in equipment, refurbishing patient areas, funding staff wellbeing initiatives and more.

Hampshire Hospitals’ chief executive Alex Whitfield said: “It was a real joy to see so many of our colleagues both up on stage and in the audience having such a great time.

“The show really was fantastic.

“Fundraisers like these help our charity to further improve and enhance hospital services for our population so a huge thank you to all involved.”