(l-r) Brenda Churchman, Sue Stevens (WCHP), Elizabeth Baxter (Care for Veterans) and Reverend Roger Wood
The Grand Rehearsal, a new mini-musical by Jorgen and Libbet Booth, was performed over three days at Emmanuel United Reformed Church, Worthing and raised an amazing £2,800 for charity.
The story was of the predicament of a village choir whose numbers had reduced to just two singers, and the twist in the tale was that within five minutes of the show starting, the audience became aware that they were the new choir members and they would be the ones singing! And that they did, singing along to tunes like Bring Me Sunshine, Edelweiss and Land of Hope & Glory, to name but a few. In between the songs, the audience were treated to singing and dancing by talented youngsters from The Regnante School of Performing Arts.
The event was in aid of two local charities, Worthing Churches Homeless Projects and Care for Veterans, and an amazing £2,800 was raised in total.
Elizabeth Baxter, Head of Fundraising at Care for Veterans said, “The Grand Rehearsal illustrates how the joy of singing can bring a smile to your face. As a member of the audience, I loved singing along to all the classic tunes. Care for Veterans is delighted that so much money was raised, for which we are very grateful, and this wonderful amount of money will be very well spent on the veterans in our care. Our heartfelt thanks go to Jorgen and Libbet Booth, Brenda Churchman, Reverend Roger Wood and all the actors, performers and helpers who worked so hard and made this possible.”
Sue Stevens, PR & Fundraising Manager at Worthing Churches Homeless Projects said, “At Worthing Churches Homeless Projects we recognise that we cannot solve homelessness in this area alone, we need the whole community to work together to resolve this. This concert is a perfect example of that, raising awareness and raising money to help some of the most vulnerable people in our community. We are very grateful to everyone involved. The three performances were excellent; great fun and lots of enjoyment. As Elizabeth says, singing does bring a smile to your face and it was lovely to see the audiences join in.”
ENDS
Care for Veterans (formerly The Queen Alexandra Hospital Home) was established in 1919 – the charity celebrates its 99th anniversary this year (2018).
Care for Veterans is a registered charity, providing care and rehabilitation for physically disabled ex-Service personnel and their families. Our residents’ needs are complex and many have multiple disabilities. Many have an Acquired Brain Injury and some have neurological disorders such as Parkinson’s or Multiple Sclerosis. Others are paralysed or do not have use of their limbs and some are terminally ill. We support on average 140 residents a year.
We care for up to 60 residents at any one time.
Our residents are aged between 32 and 99.
Our residents represent the tri-services: Royal Navy, Army and RAF.
Services at Care for Veterans include nursing, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech and language therapy, an active social and recreation department, rehabilitation kitchen, a chaplaincy service, counselling, IT facilities, a rehabilitation garden, sensory room, coffee shop and function room and regular outings on our specially adapted coach.
With no regular government funding, Care for Veterans must raise over £1.9 million each year to maintain its nursing and rehabilitation services for ex-Servicemen and women.
Care for Veterans
Gifford House, Boundary Road, Worthing, West Sussex, BN11 4LJ
Telephone 01903 218444
www.careforveterans.org.uk
fundraising@careforveterans.org.uk
Registered Charity No: 1072334
