The Courtyard Centre for the Arts and charity partner Herefordshire Heartstart are delighted that their joint Christmas Appeal, running alongside The Courtyard’s pantomime Cinderella, has raised over £10,000 as a result of generous public donations. This total is up 38% on the 2012 Christmas Appeal.
The Appeal raised funds through bucket collections by the Cinderella cast as well as through online and box office donations. All funds raised will be split equally between the two charities. Local charity Herefordshire Heartstart were chosen by The Courtyard to partner in the appeal as their outstanding work within the county was seen as a worthy cause for support.
Herefordshire Heartstart provides a vital service to the communities of Herefordshire through their How to Save a Life training programmes. Heartstart are responsible for helping to save thousands of lives in Herefordshire, having trained over 19,000 people through the community programme since 1996 and 30,000 young people through the schools programme over the past 10 years. 
The Courtyard’s Business Development Manager, Lucy Wells commented: ‘Thanks to the generosity of the public over Christmas, Heartstart will be able to continue to save lives in the county. The Courtyard as a charity is also a vital resource for the county, with our share the Appeal going to our Fifteen Fund, helping us reach our target of £50,000 to support community arts programmes and the development of new projects. With all the current and potential funding cuts, we urgently need support to ensure the future of this work.’
Heartstart’s Co-ordinator & Schools Project Manager Loraine Coleman, said: “We are absolutely thrilled that Heartstart will gain over £5,000 from the Appeal. We would like to give a huge thanks to the whole cast, who did a fantastic job of encouraging people to donate and to the lovely staff at the Courtyard for supporting our cause. This really has been a truly wonderful partnership and we are delighted with the results. The money raised means that thousands more people will learn how to save a life, particularly through our schools programme. The money raised will enable us to train 40 school staff as instructors who can then teach approximately 4,000 schoolchildren each year.’
The Courtyard hopes to have the same fundraising success with the 2014 Appeal during this year’s pantomime Jack and the Beanstalk.
For further information on the Courtyard Christmas Appeal or fundraising at The Courtyard Centre for the Arts contact Lucy Wells 01432 346505/ lucy.wells@courtyard.org.uk/ www.courtyard.org.uk
To find out more about Herefordshire Heartstart contact Loraine Coleman on 0845 6060654 or email info@herefordshireheartstart.org / www.herefordshireheartstart.org
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