How a trip to the theatre can help a life-line Sunderland charity

Age UK Sunderland director Tracy Buck, left, and Karen McKinney, with Sunderland Empire staff Dom Tumilty, Daniel Bell and Andy Williams.

In a scheme which raises thousands of pounds for charity each year, Sunderland Empire has revealed that Age UK Sunderland will be its charity of the year for 2018.

Throughout the year, bucket collections will be in place across hundreds of performances, including West End spectaculars such as Beautiful – The Carole King Musical, Jersey Boys, Legally Blonde the Musical, Matilda the Musical, Wicked, Miss Saigon and War Horse.

Ben Phillips, theatre director at Sunderland Empire, said: “We are delighted to announce Age UK as our chosen charity for 2018.

“We would like to thank our patrons for the substantial generosity they have shown to regional charity collections over the years including Red Sky Ball for CHUF, Centrepoint Sunderland and The Royal British Legion (Northern)”.

Age UK Sunderland offers a range of services to support older people including the Essence Service which supports people in the early stages of dementia and their carers.

Tracy Buck, director of Age UK Sunderland, said: “The Essence outreach is an excellent opportunity to meet people in a similar situation to gain support and meet new friends, it offers a relaxed environment and tailors around your needs.

“If you are either a person in the early stages of dementia or a carer of someone with dementia, come and pop in for a chat. Sunderland Empire is a great setting for our new outreach and we are thrilled that Age UK Sunderland has been chosen as their charity of the year.”