THE Princes Hall in Aldershot kindly donated 40 tickets to is Christmas pantomime, Sleeping Beauty, to Phyllis Tuckwell Hospice Care. The tickets were given by the Princes Hall and Rushmoor Borough Council, to children who attend Phyllis Tuckwell’s Little Rays sessions, a support group for bereaved children of primary school age.

The children were welcomed by Amanda Stallard, the venue’s house manager, who had arranged for some of the cast members to meet the children before the performance.

During the show, two of the children were called onto the stage, where they took part in a boys versus girls song contest, singing Jingle Bells. The drummer, who judged the contest, couldn’t decide on a winner, so everyone was given a goodie bag, which contained sweets and a fluffy snowman.

One of the children from Little Rays was also given a voucher for the Inspirations Gift Shop in Aldershot, sponsors of the pantomime, where they could exchange it for a collectable Disney figure.

“We would like to thank the Princes Hall and Rushmoor Borough Council for these pantomime tickets, which were a very thoughtful and generous gift,” said Claire Tune, children and family counsellor at Phyllis Tuckwell. “The children had a fabulous time and left with some very special memories.”

“The counselling support which Phyllis Tuckwell offers is crucial in helping families to come to terms with the death of a loved one,” said David Clifford, leader of Rushmoor Borough Council.

“We are delighted to have been able to offer these bereaved children a little light relief at Christmas, a time when they may be missing their loved ones that bit more than usual.”