Comedy gig helping children in the North East

Comedy fans have donated their 100,000th gift for children in poverty in the North East.

The landmark was reached at the ninth annual Laffs4Kids gala, held at Newcastle’s Utilita Arena on Sunday, having previously been staged at the smaller City Hall venue.

Audience members donated 24,975 presents, bringing the total over the years to the landmark figure.

The charity event is the branchild of Newcastle-based comedian Jason Cook, creator of the  whodunnit series Murder, They Hope with Johnny Vegas and Sian Gibson.

He said: ‘It’s such a great feeling knowing that the gifts people bring are going directly into the hands of the kids that need them. And when you see thousands of people coming to the door with dozens of presents each, that level of generosity speaks to the kindness of the North East.’

Gifts donated by the 4,500-strong crowd were loaded on to a HGV at the arena provided by Mission Christmas partner B&M, with so many being donated that a second vehicle was needed They will now be sorted and distributed by the Cash for Kids charity.

The show featured comedy stars including Chris and Rosie Ramsey, performing sketches including a deliberately awful rendition of A Spaceman Came Travelling and posing as fake security guards in the audience.

Cook said: ‘I knew when we moved to the arena, we couldn’t just keep the show on the stage, it gets a bit boring. So, I wanted there to be things happening right there in the crowd, right in front of their eyes."

Also appearing in the audience were MC Hammersmith, improvising a rap, and Clinton Baptiste, the psychic medium made famous by Phoenix Nights, giving out psychic readings.

Appearing on stage were comics Adam Rowe, Brennan Reece, Scott Bennett Lauren Pattison and Carl Hutchinson, all performing without taking a fee. 

Dan Slee, charity manager for Cash for Kids North East, said: ‘The generosity of the North East truly shines through – without it we simply wouldn’t be able to help so many children and families. 

'With the move to the arena, we knew that Jason and his team would come up with something special and the night didn’t disappoint! The volume of gifts we received was truly phenomenal and we’re so grateful to everyone who came and donated."’

Cook says he’s looking for sponsors to help stage next year’s tenth anniversary gig, saying: ‘It’s VERY expensive to put a show on of this size and I’ve always wanted to keep ticket prices as low as possible, to give people more money to buy gifts to bring.’

The 2024 event sponsors were Bellway Homes, Engineering Consultancy Ltd, Greggs, Northern Gas & Power, Northumbrian Water, The Exchange 1856 and Vestas.

Published: 17 Dec 2024