Charity pulls plug on 16-year-old's variety fundraiser

The 16-year-old spent nearly £800 planning a big variety show at the Kings Theatre in Southsea next month.

He had already raised £750 by selling 150 tickets for £6.50 each, with £5 from every sale going to charity.

But the British Heart Foundation – which initially provided collection buckets – has now said it wants nothing to do with it.

The Highbury College student told The News he picked BHF because his mum Tracy, 40, has Noonan syndrome, which involves a heart defect.

Jordan, who planned the event with his girlfriend Hannah Browning, said: ‘I’m never going to help the British Heart Foundation again.’

Jordan said he had raised around £2,000 for the charity in the past. And he said on the day the show was axed he had people asking for around 700 tickets, which would have made £3,500.

Ticket sales, a raffle and refreshments were going to raise cash for the charity.

Jordan added: ‘I feel very, very annoyed. It’s taken us three months. We’ve set the whole thing up and this has happened.’

Jordan, from Fratton, appeared in The News last month launching the variety show. He explained how he usually does magic tricks in Commercial Road and has done since he was 13.

He even asked a relative who is an Elvis impersonator to travel from Las Vegas for the show. But his plans for a major show with girlfriend Hannah, 17, have been dashed.

Hannah added: ‘It’s disappointing after all the hard work we’ve both put in. I think it’s a smack in the teeth.’

Now the pair are left counting the cost after getting T-shirts and leaflets printed with the BHF logo.

Neil Jarrett, fundraising manager at the British Heart Foundation, said: ‘On this occasion we unfortunately couldn’t support Mr Greenwood’s ambitious fundraising event because we felt the resource needed to put the event on would far outweigh the money raised.

‘The theatre kindly offered to give him his deposit back.’

David Cooper, Kings chief executive, said: ‘I think it was best intentions rather than leaving somebody with an event that lost money. We fundamentally agreed with the fact that it was unlikely to cover its costs.’

Jordan spent £300 on the deposit, £120 on T-shirts, £175 on lights and £200 on kit. He was due to take half of that back.

with the rest going to charity.

Printed leaflets had the incorrect ticket price of £5 on them.