Theatre Royal Plymouth’s festive appeal delivers record £40k community impact

Theatre Royal Plymouth has announced that its Festive Appeal 2025 has raised a record-breaking £42,689.94 to support young people across the city and wider region.

The total represents an increase of more than 78 per cent compared with last year’s appeal, which raised £23,900.

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Alongside the main appeal, the charity also raised an additional £12,240 through the Big Give Christmas Challenge and £1,365 from a pantomime-inspired Crowdfunder.

The annual fundraising campaign launched on 1 November 2025 and ran throughout the festive season. 

It coincided with a full programme of performances at the theatre, including The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, Fawlty Towers, Dick Whittington, Raymond Briggs’ Father Christmas and The Star Who Danced across Theatre Royal Plymouth’s main and smaller stages.

All proceeds from the appeal will be used to support children and young people from the local community over the coming year. 

Funding raised through the Big Give Christmas Challenge will be directed towards the launch of a new community initiative, Young Company, Our Space.

The new youth theatre group will work with children and young people who are facing significant challenges and disadvantages. 

It builds on Theatre Royal Plymouth’s existing Our Space and Young Company programmes and is supported by the Maristow Charity. 

The project will provide weekly term-time sessions for 15 participants, expanding to up to 40 children during school holidays. 

Participants will be supported to explore creativity, develop new skills, build relationships and express themselves through drama.

Money from the wider Festive Appeal will also support a range of other projects. 

These include Young Company Create, which runs weekly theatre sessions for children and young people with disabilities, focusing on confidence-building in a supportive environment. 

Funding will also contribute to Playhouse, a national scheme that connects young people with playwrights and theatre-makers and gives them the opportunity to perform on professional stages.

Last year, seven primary schools from Devon and Cornwall took part in Playhouse, performing on Theatre Royal Plymouth’s Drum stage during a week of shows.

Lucy Howe, Director of Partnerships and Philanthropy at Theatre Royal Plymouth, said:

“We are incredibly grateful to our audiences and members who have so generously supported this year’s appeal. 

“I think the huge uplift we’ve seen this year is testament to the spirit of the people of Plymouth and the South West who are committed to making meaningful change for our shared community.”

Donations were made through bucket collections and contactless payments at the theatre, as well as online and box office donations and optional contributions added when purchasing tickets.

Theatre Royal Plymouth is a registered charity and the largest regional producing theatre in the UK, welcoming around 300,000 audience members each year and delivering creative programmes for more than 30,000 people across the region.