West End Flea Market raises over £70,000

Picture: Mark Lomas

Leading theatrical charity Acting For Others has revealed last weekend’s West End Flea Market raised over £70,000 – making it the most successful flea market so far.

Thousands of people joined in the fun at St Paul’s Covent Garden Church in Covent Garden last Saturday as stars from some of the West End’s biggest shows manned stalls packed with memorabilia and signed autographs.

Commenting on the success of the event, Stephen Waley-Cohen, co-chair of Acting for Others said: “There was a fantastic atmosphere with dozens of cast members from West End shows, stars signing autographs and thousands of fans buying the memorabilia on offer – all of it providing support for everyone from the theatre professions, through our network of 14 member charities.”

West End Flea Market original Christopher Biggins and award-winning choreographer Arlene Phillips crowned Mamma Mia! the Best Dressed Stall after being wowed by the mix of show memorabilia, signed posters and cast pictures along with a treasure trove of Donna and the Dynamos accessories to use for selfies and a chance for fans to join the cast performing in a TikTok.

The Mamma Mia! team came out ahead of stalls created by teams from productions including: Back to the Future, Hamilton, Jersey Boys, Les Misérables, Mamma Mia!, Moulin Rouge, The Phantom of the Opera, The Rocky Horror Show, Six The Musical, The Book of Mormon, The Mousetrap and The Play That Goes Wrong.

Biggins and Phillips also joined Bonnie Langford, Samantha Bond, Harriet Thorpe, Frances Mayli McCann, Jordan Luke Gage, Jodie Steele, George Maguire, Cassidy Janson, Christina Bianco, Mazz Murray, Aimie Atkinson, John Owen-Jones, Oliver Tompsett and Giles Terera in the autograph tent to sign autographs and pose for selfies.

Sara Kestelman took to the microphone as the events emcee while items featured in Biggins Bargains – the Bargain Hunt-inspired activity in which two celebrity teams battle it out to auction off their theatrical finds for the highest amount – included a Shirley Valentine script signed by Sheridan Smith and Willy Russell, artwork signed by the cast of A Little Life and a VIP Package to Back to the Future.

Last year’s post-pandemic event which raised over £45,500 – almost double the amount raised at the first West End Flea Market in 2019.

Following on from the fundraising success of the annual West End Bake Off, West End Flea Market was created in 2019 as another star-studded fundraiser for Acting For Others, the umbrella organisation that represents 14 UK theatrical charities and offers emotional and financial support to members of the entertainment industry who have fallen on hard times. The inaugural event raised £26,000 for the charity.

West End Flea Market is sponsored by The Mackintosh Foundation and the Actors Benevolent Fund.

Angela Thomas