One act play raises £2,200 for Sid Valley causes

An evening of myth, music and mystery has boosted two Sid Valley causes after generous audiences raised £2,200.

Sidmouth resident Christine Hardy put on her one-act play A Midsummer Night’s Mermaid for two evenings to boost the Admiral Nurse Campaign and teenager Charlotte Reid’s efforts for Brain Tumour Research.

On the night, crowds were delighted with music from Samantha Abraham and Peter Fung, before Sid Vale Community Productions took to the stage to tell the tale of Shakespeare and the Mermaid of Zennor myth.

Christine said she was ‘absolutely thrilled’ to double her target after the event at All Saints Church raised £1,100 for each cause.

The Livonia Road resident said: “The generous audiences and hard work of everybody concerned with organising the evening resulted in a heartwarming boost to the two local charities. That’s Sidmouth for you.”

At the event the audience heard from Admiral Nurse Heidi Crook and watched a short video created by Sidmouth photographer Kyle Baker to show Charlotte’s battle with a benign brain tumour.

Charlotte, 17, attended the event to raise awareness for Brain Tumour Research’s Wear A Hat Day and sold bages to go towards her £19,000 campaign to fund one day of research into conditions like hers.

Christine said: “It was a sensitive and powerful video created by two very special Sidmouth youngsters.”