Trust fund boosted by Naughty Elf show

More than £1,600 has been raised for the Chloe and Liam Together Forever Trust during a festive run of a popular annual show at South Shields Customs House.

Santa’s Naughty Elf: A Christmas Carol ran throughout December, with writer and director Wayne Miller once again taking on the lead role of Elfluent.

A record number of seats were sold - and the audiences helped raise £1,612 for the trust through collections.

Santa’s Naughty Elf is a panto aimed at children under the age of seven and their families. This year will mark 10-years of the show.

Wayne said: “Knowing so many people came to see Santa’s Naughty Elf makes me very happy as the creator of the show. However, what means the most is that people have made it part of their Christmas tradition.

“We have audience members who’ve attended every single year since we began. I can’t wait to celebrate 10 years of Santa’s Naughty Elf with plenty of calamity in this year’s festive treat.

“Making the choice to support the Chloe and Liam Together Forever Trust was the right and only one. The generosity of our audiences blew us away and my team and I are so thankful to them for the amount raised.”

The trust was set up to celebrate the lives of South Shields couple Chloe Rutherford, 17, and Liam Curry, 19, who were killed in the terrorist attack at Manchester Arena in May last year.

The trust aims to provide funding to help young people in South Tyneside achieve their potential through their love of performance or sport, as Liam was a keen cricketer and Chloe, a talented performer. Chloe had also appeared on stage at The Customs House on numerous occasions.

Chloe’s mum, Lisa Rutherford, said: “The amount raised is absolutely amazing and I would like to say thank you very much, on behalf of both families.

“It is going to make a massive impact on the monies raised towards the trust and hopefully we can continue to support others and help them fulfil their dreams.”

Tickets for the 2018 show of Santa’s Naughty Elf’s Celebration of Calamity, which runs from December 1 to December 24, 2018, are on sale now, priced from £10.

Call the box office on (0191) 454 1234 or visit www.customshouse.co.uk.