UK / AGILITYPR.NEWS / November 04, 2019 / PRESS RELEASE

For immediate release - photo included

Monday 4th November 2019

WISH CHILD RECEIVES BIG (The Musical) DONATION

A London boy who received a wish from Make-A-Wish® UK has been presented with a fundraising cheque for £80,000 by the stars of BIG The Musical.

Khayyam Iqbal, 10, from Sutton, whose wish was to create his own YouTube channel, reported from the red carpet at the gala night for BIG, which made its West End premiere in September at the Dominion Theatre for a nine-week season.

The show invited a wish child to become the face of their production because of the natural link between the show and the charity’s mission, and because £1 from every theatre ticket sold will go towards granting more life-changing wishes for children like him.

Khayyam was treated for Burkitt’s Lymphoma. Since his wish four years ago he has become a digital representative at school and his love for music, film and entertainment has continued to flourish. He even reported for BBC London News.

Khayyam has also been keeping the charity’s online supporters updated about what goes into creating a West End musical by filming during rehearsals and by interviewing some of the cast which includes Jay McGuiness, Kimberley Walsh, Matthew Kelly and Wendi Peters.

Khayyam said: “It’s been so interesting so see behind the scenes and to understand things like how the actors get changed so quickly between scenes and how things work in the orchestra pit and the costume and wig departments.”

Michael Rose, the show’s producer, said: “We are delighted that Khayyam has worked with us, learnt a bit about theatre life and promoted our fabulous production.”

You can find out more about Khayyam’s wish here and follow his activity on the Make-A-Wish blog.

To find out more about Make-A-Wish visit make-a-wish.org.uk.

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ABOUT US

Make-A-Wish® UK grants life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses.

A wish is a once-in-a-lifetime experience and a focus for children living with serious illnesses whose future may be uncertain. Since the charity was founded in the UK in 1986 it has granted more than 13,000 wishes - registered charity number: 295672/SC037479

●      To respect the sensitive nature of life-threatening conditions, we ask that phrases like ‘terminally ill’ are not used and that the term ‘critical illnesses’ is used in all materials.

●      Make-A-Wish should be referred to as Make-A-Wish® UK in the first instance. Thereafter ‘Make-A-Wish’ is suitable.

●      Please hyperlink to our website when you mention Make-A-Wish online.

*Donations will be made via Make-A-Wish Promotions Limited, which passes all its taxable profits to Make-A-Wish Foundation UK. Charity Nos. 295672 (England & Wales). SCO37479 (Scotland)

For more information please contact Joanne Porter 07739 661320

Or email joanne.porter@makeawish.org.uk