PANTOMIME fever was high in Basingstoke when medical staff and firefighters took to the stage to perform a charity show (pictured above).

Staff from Basingstoke hospital, North Hampshire Primary Care Trust (NHPCT), Parklands, The Hampshire Clinic and Harness House, together with firefighters from Basingstoke fire station, performed Pirates of the North Hants to two crowded audiences on Sunday, January 9.

Based on the swashbuckling blockbuster Pirates of the Caribbean, the pantomime at the Haymarket was held to raise cash for Basingstoke cancer unit, the children's ward, the fire service's benevolent fund and the tsunami disaster appeal.

Julie Jones, the clinical governance facilitator at the hospital, played the modern matron.

She said: "It was based on the NHS - anyone who works there loves it because they understand all the jokes."

John Bevan, who played pirate Blind Pew, said the performances were well received.

"It went excellently. It was packed for both performances," he said.

"The matinee show was mainly children - they enjoyed it. They were booing and hissing the pirates."

The amount raised from ticket sales has not yet been totted up, but a fantastic £741 was raised through a collection, which will also be split between the four charities.