Help my local theatre keep its doors open

I have spent most of the summer training hard and I am off to Berlin to run a marathon in just 10 days’ time. On Sunday 24 September I will set off to run 26.2 miles/ 42 km.

It has been a long hard slog as I am not getting any younger or faster. I have had to battle on through shin splints, hamstring tendinopathy and a chest infection.

By the end of next week (week 12 of training), I will have run a total of 485 miles/ 780 km, and done at least 5 runs lasting 3 hours or longer so I guess I am ready. Phew!

I was in the top ten fastest runners in my age category in the November 2022 London marathon, and that qualified me for my place in Berlin, so I don’t need to actually raise funds for a charity to take part.

However, a very worthy cause has emerged in the form of a place that has given me a lot of pleasure over the years, my local theatre in Hampton Hill (owned and operated by Teddington Theatre Club).

The building was funded with lottery funding 25 years ago and is now showing serious signs of wear and tear.

A leaking roof, a dodgy boiler, an outdated fire system and numerous repairs are required to ensure that the building continues to meet modern safety standards and the scale of the funding required threatens the continued life of the theatre.

This would be a real shame as the theatre is very active and includes and engages people from many walks of life with multiple talents and skills. It provides a pivotal community resource, supporting many local groups.

For me personally, the theatre provided my husband and I with an almost instant circle of friends when we moved here 15 years ago and those friendships have endured.

I am really keen to help out and to give something back so I would love you to sponsor me for this event.

Any funds I raise will be doubled by my employer so, with your help, I should be able to really make a difference.

Thank you X

More information about Teddington Theatre Club Limited: TTC is one of the leading non-professional theatre companies in the South East of England. Founded in 1927, TTC moved to Hampton Hill Theatre, which it owns and manages, in 1998. The Club includes and welcomes actors, designers, technicians, backstage and front-of-house assistants, and presents six main house productions and four studio productions a year.