Pantomime audiences at the Theatre Royal in Bath have raised more than £12,600 for charity during the festive season.
Jon Monie and Tristan Gemmill with members of the Front of House team, Sam and Lola | Photo © Theatre Royal Bath
The money was collected across 14 post-show bucket collections held between Thursday 18th and Friday 26th December 2025, after matinee and evening performances of The Further Adventures of Peter Pan.
Audience favourite Jon Monie, who wrote the script and also stars as pirate Smee, made an announcement from the stage on behalf of the charities involved before each collection during the nine-day fundraising period.
Well known for his roles in Casualty and Coronation Street, Tristan Gemmill, who stars as the iconic baddie Captain Hook, said: “We would like to say a massive thank you to each and every one of the extremely generous theatregoers for this amazing total raised.
“Bath’s pantomime audiences have dug deep for these fantastic charities, who will be able to continue their incredible work in 2026.”
The Theatre Royal’s annual Charities Week raised £9,525.48, which will be shared equally between four charities: Parkinson’s UK, 2 Wish, CCS Adoption and Guide Dogs.
Additional bucket collections held the following week brought in a further £3,170.15 to support the Theatre Royal Bath’s new community theatre, Venue 4.
Jon Monie and Tristan Gemmill were joined on stage by Holly Atterton (Tinker Bell), Sarah Jane Buckley (Mrs Darling/Ethel Mermaid), Marcus J Foreman (Peter Pan), Bobbie Chambers (Emily Darling), comedy acrobats The Nitwits, dancers from The Dorothy Coleborn School of Dance, and Sam and Lola from the Theatre Royal’s Front of House team to celebrate the generosity of theatregoers.
The charities supported through Charities Week work across a wide range of causes:
- Parkinson’s UK works to improve life for people with Parkinson’s, from funding groundbreaking research and running support services to campaigning for better health and care.
- 2 Wish provides immediate and ongoing bereavement support for anyone affected by the sudden and unexpected death of a child or young adult aged 25 or under, including memory boxes, hospital bereavement rooms, counselling, play therapy and complementary therapies.
- CCS Adoption, a voluntary adoption agency and children’s charity based in Bristol and serving the South West, finds and supports loving families for children who can no longer safely live with their birth family, offering lifelong support to help them heal, grow and thrive.
- Guide Dogs helps children and adults with sight loss live the life they choose, providing life-changing mobility services and dogs to support active, independent and fulfilled lives.
