It must be nearly Christmas as the Big Give Christmas Challenge is here again!
Every year, donations that you give to a chosen charity’s projects will be doubled when made through the Big Give website. This is made possible by a large pot of match funding being given by large charities and other donors. A number of causes are nominated by Champions, and a number of these are finally selected to take part in the match-funding scheme.
Another reason so many charities need your help right now is that they are all battling the Covid restrictions which has impacted their operation, making their work universally more difficult to achieve, but ever more important in the fight to tackle loneliness and social isolation. This year, more than ever, your support is vital.
This year the pot of funds available to be matched is over £10million! The Challenge runs for 7 days, until midday on December 7th.
Here are some of the charities you can support which are theatre-related. If you feel able to help, remember your gift will be doubled!
CARDBOARD CITIZENS works with homeless people to allow them creative expression.
THE LITTLE ANGEL THEATRE‘s Puppets for All scheme provides free tickets to disadvantaged children and families so that they can experience the joy of theatre.
BRISTOL OLD VIC YOUNG SIXSIX group put on a play and use it to effect outreach about social issues to disadvantaged or isolated communities.
WASSAIL THEATRE COMPANY are Somerset-based and support aspiring performers from the area which is very poor in arts provision and opportunities.
HEAD2HEAD SENSORY THEATRE provides accessible and sensory theatre for children with disabilities
LYRIC THEATRE HAMMERSMITH asks for your help to provide more free and subsidised places to our drama, music & technical classes for all 7-25 year olds facing hardship.
POLKA THEATRE asks for your support for their Access Programme which provides tailored support and opportunities to ensure children can experience the magic of live theatre and creative workshops regardless of their disability.
BIRMINGHAM HIPPODROME EDUCATION NETWORK asks for your help to support 25,000 disadvantaged young people in the West Midlands left behind by Covid in their education and personal development, through their schools project.
GOSFORTH CIVIC THEATRE is a fringe theatre in Newcastle, opened by a group of people with learning disabilities. Their theatre shows are for the whole community to enjoy, brings people together, and shows what people with learning disabilities can contribute to society.
SHEFFIELD THEATRE TRUST aim to create new choir to allow people of all ages with dementia, from schoolchildren to pensioners, to experience the joy and community of singing within their own choir.
CLEAN BREAK work with women caught up in the criminal justice system or at risk of entering it. Offering theatre activities and support services alongside, their aim is to empower women to reach their potential and thrive.
FUEL THEATRE asks for your support for its programme of performance and engagement, producing and amplifying inspiring stories by under-represented performance makers for under-served audiences and participants across the UK.
UNICORN THEATRE is the UK’s leading theatre for younger audiences. They ask for your support of their project which will focus on giving inspiring creative experiences to young people who face significant barriers and hardship.
THEATRE PECKHAM ask for your help to enable them to subsidise or provide free course and activity places to young people from disadvantaged background in the local community.
MONTAGE THEATRE ARTS ask for your support to provide free and subsidised places for their activities for Lewisham’s disadvantaged children and young people, one of the most deprived boroughs in the UK. Funds support their Saturday School and Holiday Club activities.
Whichever charity you choose to help, I know that they will be enormously grateful as they strive to help their communities through the extra hardships of the legacy of Covid.
THANK YOU for whatever you can spare to help others enjoy being creative, who otherwise would not be able to access a sense of community, achievement and hope. Every pound you give makes a difference to someone’s life.
Find out more about the Big Give Christmas Challenge here
