ONE of the most famous childhood stories of all time is putting plenty of bums on seats at Theatre by the Lake and at the same time raising money for a well-known children's hospital charity.

Hundreds of seriously ill children will benefit from two months of performances of Peter Pan at the Keswick theatre this Christmas. And thanks to the generosity of JM Barrie, royalties from the production will be paid to Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity (GOSH) in London.

Huge demand for tickets to Peter Pan means that the show is set to raise around £15,000 for GOSH by the time it comes to an end of its Theatre by the Lake run on Saturday, January 31. The money will help to provide vital medical equipment and fund research into better treatments for children suffering from the rarest, most complex and often life-threatening conditions. It will also help to provide accommodation close to the hospital for their parents.

Ian Forrest, co-director of the show, said they were delighted that their Peter Pan would contribute to such a good cause. He added: “As a registered charity ourselves, we understand how vital every donation is. We look on this as a Christmas present from one good cause to another.”

Peter Pan was a major hit when first produced in London on December 27, 1904; it ran for 150 performances and was revived every Christmas for the next three decades.

In 1929 Barrie donated the copyright of the story to GOSH - a gift that ensured that the hospital would receive royalties on both novel and play (including adaptations) in his lifetime and for 50 years after his death.

GOSH has benefited from its Peter Pan income for more than 80 years. Copyright on both play and book should have expired in 1987, but Prime Minister James Calllaghan (whose wife was a chair of the GOSH Board) persuaded the House of Lords to grant the hospital the right to royalties from Peter Pan in the UK forever.

The story is no longer under copyright in many other parts of the world, so the boy who never grew up is a little less valuable these days. Now more than ever, every little helps.

Box office 017687-74411.