An ex-TV producer is walking 10km every day to help Hampton Hill Theatre.

Nigel Cole, 62, is aiming to raise £10,000 on GoFundMe by the end of August through his daily 'walkathon' to support Hampton Hill Theatre's financial challenges.

Cole often takes Freddy on his long walks around Bushy Park. (Photo: Nigel Cole)

At the time of writing, Cole is at £3,230 of his £10,000 target.

"I haven't done anything sponsorship-wise since I was a kid," Cole joked. "I think I walked 25 miles for a new scout hut. I can still remember the pain in my legs."

Cole said he tends to do his lengthy walk in the morning around the parameter of Bushy Park, or by the River Crane. Keeping him entertained on his walkathon is Cole's "crazy" two-year-old cocker spaniel Freddy. 

Cole often takes Freddy on his long walks around Bushy Park. (Photo: Nigel Cole)

Situated on the edge of Bushy Park on the High Street, the theatre needs a bit of TLC with completely repairing the roof tiles and upgrading the fire safety systems.

Added together, the repairs are estimated at an eye-watering £170,000 with £130,000 for the roof alone.

Cole said the theatre "need to get [the roof] completely repaired and rectify the original problems".

The club does have reserves, but Cole said the bills "put a big dent in them". He also expressed nervousness about energy and gas bills coming down the line as the winter months roll in. 

"It is a real community building," said Cole. "But coming up to 25 years now, it is beginning to show its age."

Hampton Hill Theatre undergoing roof renovation in July. (Photo: Hampton Hill Theatre/Facebook)

A theatre with a reputation

The theatre is home to Teddington Theatre Club, the charity and board which Cole is a non-executive member of. He has also directed and featured in many of the plays. "My most favourite show is always the next one," he added, cheekily. The next show being Monty Python's Spamalot, showcasing 3-9 December 2023.

Cole said Teddington Theatre Club has been going almost one hundred years and has numerous temporary homes in that space of time. "It's got that length of time and history to it which is really important," he said.

Staging ten productions a year- six in the main auditorium and four in the upstairs studio space- the theatre club ensure Hampton Hill Theatre is a space which is well-lived and well-loved. 

The theatre seats approximate 200 people. Only 25 years old, it boasts a modern stage with extensive facilities such as a large wings and main foyer, as well as a 50-seater studio. 

Cole said: "It's more than bricks and mortar. It's a building that lives…we have audiences there most nights of the week there's some sort of show on." 

He cited the venue's comedy nights with serious players on the circuity like Milton Jones, as well as being hired out to local theatre groups like Step on Stage, children's' groups, Crossroads Care, lunches and yoga classes in the foyer. 

"It has this unique spirit of creativity, people fulfilling their dreams but doing it," Cole said. "For a lot of kids, it is their first opportunity to be on a real stage. A lot of schools use it for their productions."

The theatre has no paid staff; from the bartenders to the stewards, the sound engineers and the backstage technicians, everyone is working on a voluntary basis.

Cole said they do it "not for money, but purely for the love of it, going way beyond the call of duty to provide almost professional services for no financial recompense".

Hampton Hill Theatre at night. (Photo: Nigel Cole)

After a big appeal towards the members, the club has a running total of around £35,000 in the space of two-three weeks. 

He added: "We've had a fantastic response from our members- some who have been with the theatre for many years and they have been very quick to respond to the appeal."

Teddington Theatre Club is also applying to other organisations for grants, but "fierce competition" and criteria gets "quite tough". 

Cole's walkathon is part and parcel of the drive for funds. As the non-executive director for funding, he "saw it as [his] place to try and raise funds, but also set a pace for what people could do".

Cole's "crazy" idea came about a few days before the start of August, when he was thinking what he could do to help and what he could manage. "It's the absolute regularity which is the difficulty."

The theatre was purpose built for Teddington Theatre Club and opened in 1999. It was built through volunteer member contributions, national lottery funding and the Hampton fund. 

Cole said: "It would be a real shame if financial issues were to come up and endanger its future. It really should survive well into the current century."

To find out more or to donate, follow the link to GoFundMe.