Old and young patients at the RUH in Bath were treated to music and dancing when members of the Bathampton Morris Men made a stop along the way for The Fool’s Tour.
The Morris Men hold a biannual tour, organized by The Fool, Stephen Hausey, full of dancing and music making; only this tour was special.
The Fool named this particular event The Fool’s Forever Friends Tour, as they were fundraising for the primary charity at the RUH.
The group began their tour at Wetherspoon’s in Bath for breakfast, swiftly moving onto Green Park Station, where they were able to perform and met the generosity of the public, who were eagerly throwing change into the fundraising buckets.
Next stop was the RUH, where Claudia from The Forever Friends Appeal met them. Claudia said: “As I walked towards the Atrium to greet the Morris Men, I could hear bells jingling and thought to myself that this was going to be a lovely event here and would bring some smiles to a lot of patients”
The Morris Men first went to Combe Ward, an older-patients ward at the hospital dedicated mostly to dementia patients, where they played gentle music. One visitor said what a lovely surprise it was for her mum, and a welcome distraction from hospital life.
The Morris Men then jingled their way to the Children’s Ward, where they were met with great enthusiasm from staff and patients alike. They performed in the playroom, giving them enough space to show off their impressive choreography and were joined by one very keen young patient who was given a set of shakers.
Lastly, the group moved onto the Atrium at the hospital, to conduct a final few dances and again were met with kind and generous people who chucked their change into the buckets.
Claudia from The Appeal waved goodbye to the men as they continued on their tour, stopping at The New Crown Inn in Newbridge, the Old Crown at Kelston, Bitton Railway and The Swan Inn at Swineford, before making their way back to Bath.
The Bathampton Morris Men collected a fantastic £242.76 for the RUH Cancer Care Campaign, which will transform patient care for the local community for generations to come, with the build of a new Cancer Centre at the RUH.
If you would like to hear more about The Forever Friends and how you can get involved, contact Claudia Hickin, Community Fundraiser on 01225 825825 or claudia.hickin@nhs.net.
