More than £15,000 has been raised for research into the impact of Long Covid in a unique link-up between The Bristol Hippodrome, city-based specialist finance firm National Friendly and the Southmead Hospital Charity.
The three organisations teamed up last November to launch the appeal to support pioneering work into Long Covid now taking place at the hospital’s world-leading Research & Innovation Centre. 
Known as the DISCOVER study, it has recruited more than 300 patients hospitalised with Covid-19 since March 2020 – making it the UK cohort that has been studied for the longest time and also the first to be published.
In just 12 weeks of activities, the partnership netted more than £15,000, mainly through donations from audiences at The Bristol Hippodrome.
The Bristol Hippodrome theatre director Ben Phillips said: “Despite the Covid-19 pandemic, our audiences have continued to give generously to a worthy cause that will make a real difference to those suffering from Long Covid in our community and beyond.
“The majority of fundraising took place during the festive season, when we welcomed record numbers through our doors, highlighting the public’s unwavering appetite for live entertainment.” 
National Friendly PR and corporate partnerships executive Kurtis Reece, pictured, third left, with the cast of the Hippodrome’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, added: “We are delighted to have contributed to this important charity work in our community.
“Through our partnership, we have been able to help raise a fantastic amount which will help fund vital research to help improve the health, safety and well-being of those currently living with or caring for people with Long Covid within our community.”
Southmead Hospital charity community and events manager Adrian Brown said that if we wanted to control Coronavirus, we must develop our knowledge of how the virus spreads, the symptoms it causes and its long-term impact.
“The research happening here at Southmead will play an important role in that,” he added.
Money was raised through online donations and ‘tap to donate’ machines that were installed throughout The Bristol Hippodrome last November alongside more traditional collection buckets.
Stars of the Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs pantomime, Lesley Joseph and Andy Ford, also got involved by recording voice messages that were played at the theatre throughout the festive season, asking audience members to donate at the end of each performance.
Attendances for the show, The Bristol Hippodrome’s first panto since Covid hit, reached 80,000 over its four-week run.
Each year 7,000 patients take part in more than 500 research studies at Southmead Hospital – some of which have previously been made possible thanks to the donations from community partners such as National Friendly and The Bristol Hippodrome.
Some 1.3m people in the UK are estimated to have Long-Covid, the symptoms of which can be wide-ranging, long-lasting and – for some – life-changing.
National Friendly, which was established in 1868, specialises in private medical insurance, guaranteed life assurance, assisted living insurance, savings and investments.
It has no shareholders and exists to serve the best interests of its 33,400 members.
