From a shortlist of 19 local and national charities the staff at Darlington Hippodrome have chosen three charities to support through 2022 holding regular post-show bucket collections, challenges and online donations.

Annabelle's Challenge is the leading charity for vascular Ehlers-Danlos syndrome in the UK. At the heart of the charity is Annabelle, a brave little girl from Bury who is the inspiration behind our challenge to raise awareness and support for patients and families affected by vascular EDS. Vascular EDS is a life threatening connective tissue disorder that affects all tissues, arteries and internal organs making them extremely fragile. Patients are at risk of sudden arterial or organ rupture.