Although the school holidays have arrived and the sun is almost shining, there are many children who won’t have been looking forward to the summer.  For children that are ill in hospitals and hospices, this time of year can be a particularly gloomy time and, to bring smiles to these children, Starlight Children’s Foundation will be staging performances of Dick Whittington in children’s wards throughout the UK this summer. 

The pantomime has been staged exclusively for Starlight by the interactive theatre group The Panto Company and it will visit 100 hospitals and hospices over the course of an eight week tour.  On August 9, at 10am, Starlight’s Dick Whittington will visit the ward 17 play room at the Bradford Royal Infirmary and the panto’s four actors will dance, dazzle and sing for the young patients, their families and the staff. 

Every year, Starlight provides entertainment and distraction to over half a million poorly children and this summer’s panto will give thousands of poorly children the chance to boo and hiss at the evil King Rat and cheer Dick Wittington along on his brave quest, all from the safety of the hospital ward. 

Cath Piggott, Play Specialist at the Bradford Royal Infirmary, said, “Every year we look forward to the arrival of Starlight’s panto and the entertainment and distraction it brings with it.  Play offers poorly children a way of escaping the pain and anxiety that they might be feeling as a result of their illness and Starlight’s panto is always a great dose of fun for our young patients!”

Claire Farr, who plays Alice Fitzwarren in Dick Whittington, said, “We hope that the panto gives every child in hospital something exciting to look forward to and it helps to take their minds off their illness.  The panto is jam-packed with fun and entertainment and our focus is on providing a really engaging show that will keep every audience member completely absorbed!”

The pantomime is just one way Starlight improves the lives of seriously and terminally ill children in the UK. Starlight also grants once-in-a-lifetime wishes to children of all ages to restore a little joy into their lives. In doing so, many happy memories are created for the children and their families, whatever the future holds.

For more information on Starlight Children’s Foundation, visit www.starlight.org.uk.