Lichfield Garrick's festive shows raise more than £8,000 for good causes

The money will be split equally between St Giles Hospice and the Lichfield Garrick's Youth Theatre following performances of Sleeping Beauty and Crimes Against Christmas – a new record, smashing last year's £6,000 total.

Both charities were mentioned on stage in each performance by the cast members to help raise awareness, and the staff and cast collected donations throughout the theatre after the show finished.

Karen Foster, Lichfield Garrick's executive director, said: "We know our Christmas audiences are very generous in their gifts to charities, but we didn't expect to raise over £8,000. Knowing that we have helped St Giles Hospice to provide care to people in need strengthens our partnership with the hospice and we are delighted to support such an important local charity.

"As a charity ourselves, we are also delighted that we can now support young people to join our youth activities through bursaries for anyone who needs extra help, which means the Youth Theatre is accessible to everyone."

On top of the performance collections, the Lichfield Garrick supports St Giles hospice through a partnership with the weekly lottery and by encouraging patrons to donate towards extra tickets for bereaved families in the care of St Giles.

Lesley Holmes, from St Giles Hospice, added: "We are very grateful to the Garrick and its customers for their continued support. Working in partnership helps us to continue to support our local community and provide vital services for our patients and their families."

The money donated at the December performances will go equally to support the Lichfield Garrick's Youth Theatre and the theatre's community projects, while St Giles will use the funds to provide first-class care to support their patients.

Preparations have already begun for 2017's magic carpet ride of a pantomime, Aladdin, starring Sam Rabone.