Charity concert strikes chord with City Hall Manager

21 December 2011

The Children’s Hospital Charity and Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust are very excited to announce a classical family matinee to be held on 5 February at Sheffield City Hall.

Theo the Bear presents Peter and the Wolf will be performed by the Endcliffe Orchestra and BBC Radio Sheffield’s Rony Robinson will take on the role of narrator.

Other family favourites will be performed at the concert including music from Dr Who, the Simpsons, Pirates of the Caribbean and Wallace and Gromit.

Richard Hunter, Manager at Sheffield City Hall, is proud to be hosting the charity concert at the prestigious venue as his twin daughters, Kate and Aimee, have cause to thank The Children’s Hospital for their health.

Having survived a premature birth with a condition that could have proved fatal for both twins, Kate needed a double hernia operation and a ‘spiker’ to correct her hips whilst Aimee had other difficulties that were treated by the hospital.

“It’s difficult to tell how a baby is feeling sometimes, but when Kate had her spiker removed at three months’ old, you could really see the relief and happiness in her smile," said Richard.

“We were lucky to be in Sheffield and the staff at The Children’s Hospital were brilliant. It was a very difficult period, but the care that we received at Jessops and then at The Children's Hospital was second to none.

“Kate and Aimee are now bubbly eight year olds and whilst they have very different personalities, they both love music and have started learning to play the guitar.”

Jeremy Loeb, Chief Finance Officer at Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust, plays clarinet in the Endcliffe Orchestra.

“This is going to be a really fun family concert and we really hope people get behind us and support the charity,” said Jeremy. “Children will even be able to have a go at conducting!”

All proceeds from the concert will go to The Children’s Hospital Charity’s Arts for Health programme, which promotes recovery through colour, imagery, music, performance and poetry.

Cat Powell, Arts for Health coordinator, has been involved in the planning of a new wing at The Children’s Hospital, a project subject to approval early next year.

Cat said: “I’m delighted that music is being used to fundraise for the hospital and we hope a new wing would have more performance spaces, helping to soothe our young patients, providing entertainment, stimulation and distraction for them and their families.”

Tickets for the concert, at 3pm on 5 February, are now available from Sheffield City Hall Box Office on 0114 2 789 789 or online here.