Published: 07 February 2023
Last Thursday evening, the St George’s Students' Union bar was the site of a heart-warming event that raised thousands of pounds for the British Heart Foundation. A raft of hilarious comedians, led by the dynamic Paul F. Taylor, took to the stage, entertaining staff and students alike with their wit and humour.
Jessica Fortescue got the crowd pumped up with anecdotes about her life on the road as a comedian, the difficulty of gigging in times of national mourning and her reflections on how difficult it is to act appropriately post-pandemic, while Sunil Patel had everyone in stitches with his side-splitting ideas for brilliant business ideas which will never see the light of day. Sean Walsh’s appearance had everyone reaching for their phones to film a TV star on the stage in front of them.
Nick Helm had the pharmacists in hysterics with jokes about his latest medication, and Alex Healey closed the show with a rip-roaring rant about putting the world to rights with a little help from silicon valley billionaires and the film industry.
Throughout the night, Paul MC’d with ease and charm to keep the energy high and the laughter flowing. It was great to see the bar full and everyone coming together to support a great cause. Organiser Iain Greenwood took to the stage at the end to thank the crowd and the comedians for their kind support.
The fundraiser was a huge success, with £1,450 raised for the British Heart Foundation. Iain Greenwood, Professor of Vascular Pharmacology at St George’s and Course Co-Director for the Clinical Pharmacology course said, “This is the third British Heart Foundation comedy event we’ve run at St George’s and they’re always tremendous fun. Thanks for everyone who bought a ticket after I chased them down the corridor in Jenner Wing with a flyer.”