Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust staff take part in panto

The panto will be held on Saturday, January 6 at The Haymarket in Basingstoke and it will be a hospital-themed twist on the well-known story of The Sound of Music.

The cast, made up almost entirely of hospital staff known as The HHFT Panto Players will include consultants, junior doctors and nurses as well as other support staff who in their day-to-day roles work to provide care for patients at hospitals in Basingstoke, Winchester and Andover.

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Julie Jones, director and producer of the pantomime, worked at the Winchester and Basingstoke hospitals for over 20 years before retiring. With a passion for theatre and giving back, she now devotes much of her time to putting on the pantomime each year.

Julie said: “Every year this show just gets better and better, if I do say so myself! The afternoon showing is particularly special as it’s the first time we’re all up on stage and the energy is incredible – there’s something really magical about it.

“We do all of this for such an amazing cause and we’d love to see as many people there as possible to help us continue to make a difference for our local hospitals.”

Tickets to the evening performance sold out in just 48 hours, but those who are quick can still get tickets to the afternoon showing at 2.30pm.

The audience can expect singing and dancing as well as plenty of slapstick silliness and opportunities to participate.

Last time, the pantomime raised £7,500 for Hampshire Hospitals Charity – the official NHS charity that funds upgrades, ward refurbishments, equipment, research, training and more at Hampshire Hospitals.

Tickets can be bought for £18 per adult and £13 per child through The Anvil website, anvilarts.org.uk.