Rock fans give to the tune of £10,000

Published on Tuesday 15 December 2009 08:36

THE audiences of hit musical We Will Rock You have helped raise more than £10,000 for Scotland's leading HIV and Aids charity.

During the week of World Aids Day, at the start of the month, cast members and Playhouse staff joined forces to encourage audience members to dig deep – raising a total of 10,327.

David Johnson, director of the Edinburgh-based charity Waverley Care, said: "We are both amazed and delighted by the generosity of audiences for We Will Rock You.

"There is an obvious link between World Aids Day and Freddie Mercury's memory so we approached both the production company and the Playhouse to see if it would be possible for them to collect.

"They have been incredibly supportive and the resulting income will help us make a very real difference to the lives of people living with HIV here in Edinburgh."

Pam Blyth, press officer at the Edinburgh Playhouse, where the show is running, said: "We are absolutely thrilled to have raised this phenomenal amount of money during just one week.

"We couldn't have done it without the wonderful support from our cast and patrons and we give huge thanks to everyone for their support and generosity, which has been simply staggering."

Waverley Care will use the cash to support the work of their community projects. Services on offer include counselling, support groups, health promotion, advocacy and information and a children and families project.