Stars from the pantomime Beauty & The Beast have taken time out of rehearsals to show their support for the NSPCC’s Christmas fundraiser. ‘Get Your Sparkle On’.
‘Get Your Sparkle On’ forms part of the children’s charity’s ‘Light for Every Childhood’ campaign, which has also seen landmark buildings across the region light-up in its trademark green to raise awareness of the nature and scale of child neglect and abuse.
Jon Monie who plays Louis La Plonk, Nick Wilton who plays Polly La Plonk, Ben Harlow who appears as Hugo Pompidou and Clare Maynard who plays Belle in Bath’s pantomime Beauty & The Beast added some additional glitz to their already sparkly stage costumes to promote the children’s charity’s Christmas campaign.
Bath pantomime star Jon Monie said: “The ‘Get Your Sparkle On’ fundraising campaign is the perfect way to support an important children’s charity whilst embracing the festive season.
“The NSPCC does incredible work all year round and its 24-hour Childline service is a vital resource for children in need of support.
“If you can ‘Get Your Sparkle On’ this December and raise some money for the NSPCC at the same time, you’ll be doing something wonderful.”
Community Fundraising Manager for the NSPCC in Somerset and Bristol, Anna Keir said: “We are thrilled that the cast of this year’s pantomime, Beauty & The Beast, are supporting our Christmas campaign this year.
“There are plenty of ways for the community to get involved in ‘Get Your Sparkle On’ this Christmas and help raise money to continue our important work preventing abuse and supporting children and families when they most need it.
“It could be wearing something sparkly to work and getting their colleagues to join in, or having a sparkly bake or craft sale to fundraise for the NSPCC.”
Every person who chooses to get their #SparkleOn and donate £3 can help the charity deliver its ‘Speak out Stay safe’ programme to a primary school pupil, which will help them recognise abuse and get help if they ever need it.
A donation of £90 will enable the NSPCC’s Schools Service to deliver an assembly to 30 primary school pupils, and £580 will help reach a whole school of children.
In the last academic year, across the county of Somerset and city of Bristol, a total of 28,396 children were reached by the free programme, with assemblies delivered at 130 primary schools that help them learn about the charity’s Childline service too.
1 in 5 children in the UK suffer abuse, and every year, specially-trained counsellors from Childline answer calls from children suffering their darkest hour.
One in three calls to Childline this Christmas will go unanswered, and this fundraising campaign aims to bring a light to every childhood.
Anna added: “Our specially-trained counsellors speak to children and young people in their darkest hours every day of the year, even on Christmas Day, and £20 would help answer five calls to the Childline service.”