Panto stars put a smile on children's faces with festive visit to Sunderland Royal Hospital

Stage stars from the Sunderland Empire's panto brought some festive cheer and Christmas sparkle to children’s wards as they took time out of performing on stage to take their captivating characters to Sunderland Royal Hospital.

The cast from the Beauty and the Beast, including Fairy Bon Bon - played by Emmerdale star Charlie Hardwick - Miss Rory, Belle, Louis La Plonk, the Beast himself and Hugo Pompidou, escaped the castle to brighten up the day for poorly children and their families as well as the staff working on the hospital's paediatric wards.

Hospital matron Laura Hayden-Duck said: “It’s been really exciting, the children love it and we’re so grateful to the cast for coming along. Something like this always makes a real difference to our day. “They are always so fantastic with the children and our visitors. They’re always entertaining and their families always find it brightens their day too. “We go the extra mile on our paediatric wards to make Christmas as special as we can for our patients. “They might be feeling unwell or visiting us for a procedure and we know they might be missing out on the events they would have had at school or clubs and with their loved ones. “A visit like this makes it a better stay and it’ll be something they’ll remember for years to come. “We’re so thankful to both the actors and the team at the Sunderland Empire for their support once again. It’s so good of them to take time out to come and see us. “It also helps raise the spirits of our staff as well, who will be continuing to work hard over the festive period, so a thank you from them for coming in to visit.”

Tom Whalley, who plays Louis La Plonk, "loved" putting a smile on the children's faces.

He said: "For us, Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without the pantomime but panto wouldn’t be panto without a heart-melting visit to Sunderland Royal Hospital. “We love seeing the kids and parents’ faces light up when a tsunami of sequins bursts onto the children’s ward. “It’s always a treat too to have a laugh with the wonderful staff who work tirelessly over the festive season and are doubtless the real stars in Sunderland.