BFF Panto Bus Christmas cheer

13th January 2022

Back to News

The BFF Panto Bus hit the road again before Christmas to deliver some festive fun to military families across the UK.

The casts of Aladdin and Rapunzel wound their way across the country to entertain thousands of young, and not so young, at a host of Royal Navy, Army and RAF establishments.

The performances, provided by the Charity for the past eight years and supported by both the Army Central Fund and the Royal Navy and Royal Marines Charity, once again proved enormously popular.

At RAF Lossiemouth, nearly 200 families participated in an energetic and incredibly loud evening of festive fun.

“The value of events such as this cannot be understated,” said Station Commander Group Captain Chris Layden. “As a busy 24/7 front-line operational base we make many demands on our people. Opportunities where families can come together and feel part of Station life are essential. It is how we thank them for their support and is essential to maintaining morale.

“It was a brilliant evening, full of laughter and fun, and made a real difference. Thank you.”

The visit to Claro Barracks in Ripon was equally well received: “The children were captivated by another magical performance with many sitting as close to the performance area as they could and contributing enormously to the audience participation!” said Community Development Worker Michael Bailey.

“The BFF Christmas panto has become a firm favourite of families here with many having attended the shows in previous years. In these challenging times, it’s one of very few opportunities right now where members of the Service community can come together in larger numbers for some Christmas cheer.

“Thanks again for the BFF’s support in bringing the Panto Bus to Ripon again and helping to provide some much-needed Christmas joy for families and children to enjoy again.”

The British Forces Foundation would like to thank the Army Central Fund and the Royal Navy and Royal Marines Charity for their continued support of the BFF Panto Bus.