Castle Howard have achieved an extraordinary milestone by raising an amazing £25,000 for Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity (GOSH Charity). This is the largest charitable sum raised in the North Yorkshire stately home’s recent history.
Castle Howard fundraised for the charity as part of their Peter Pan-themed Christmas in Neverland event, which ran from 11th November 2023 to 7th January 2024, with GOSH Charity as their charity partner.
Peter Pan author JM Barrie gifted the rights to Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) in 1929, and, to this day, income from royalties continues to support seriously ill children from across the UK who are treated at the hospital.
Castle Howard gave an upfront donation as part of the licence to produce a Peter Pan themed event. The remaining funds were raised by Castle Howard’s visitors, who donated as they booked their tickets online, purchased specific items in Castle Howard’s shops, or donated by cash or card in the stately home’s Chapel during their visit.
Castle Howard visitor attraction director Abbi Ollive said:
“We’re so grateful to our generous and compassionate visitors for their kind donations, allowing us to support GOSH Charity’s work. We were delighted to work with the charity to produce the event and see the story resonate with audiences, it has a special place in lots of people’s hearts. We’re thrilled to have inspired donations and raised such a substantial sum, which will undoubtedly have great impact.”
Head of partnership development at GOSH charity, Chris Carter, said:
“We at GOSH Charity would like to say a huge thank you to Castle Howard and everyone who donated during their visit to Christmas in Neverland. We are so proud of our connection to JM Barrie and the boy who never grew up, and it was fantastic to see Peter Pan’s adventures captured in such a spectacular way at Castle Howard. All the funds raised will make a big difference to the lives of seriously ill children at GOSH.”