Salford comedian Jason Manford has asked his army of fans to donate £2 to a children’s charity, after being inundated with people offering to buy him a pint.
Manford hit the headlines after he bought an entire room a round of drinks to apologise for being late to one of his gigs.
He was on his way to his second consecutive sell-out night in Lincoln on Saturday, but got stuck in traffic for two hours on the A628 between Greater Manchester and South Yorkshire.
The comedian, who now lives in Stockport, called up the venue, the Engine Shed, and told staff to offer a free drink to the 835-strong crowd.
Manford then picked up the £3,530 bar bill as a gesture for keeping people waiting.
Speaking on his Facebook page earlier today, Manford revealed that a number of people have offered to return the favour.
He said: “Anyway, a few people in the Lincoln area and various other places have said “hey mate, I’d love to buy you a pint” and whilst that is very nice, it is not really workable!”
Manford asked his fans to instead donate money to The Children’s Adventure Farm Trust, a charity who provide care and activities for terminally ill, disabled and disadvantaged children from all over the North West.
He said: “So instead, could you donate just £2 to this loveliest of charities? I’ve been a patron of them for so long, we struggle every year to make ends meet and give children who are terminally ill, dying or underprivileged a holiday they will never forget.”
The popular comedian also explained what prompted his sudden generosity.
He said: “I’ve seen it before when a show starts late, it takes much longer to win them round, some people are genuinely annoyed for the rest of the night, babysitters have to be paid extra, taxis and reservations cancelled, you can see why it would annoy someone.
“So I rang ahead and asked the staff to sort a drink for everyone and god bless the staff at the venue, they managed it!”
“I’ve realised that even though it cost over £3k, I probably couldn’t have found a better way to let the UK know that I’m still on tour, money can’t buy you that sorta PR (well it can, it costs £3532.40!).”
To donate money to The Children’s Adventure Farm Trust, click here.
Image courtesy of RichWriter, via YouTube, with thanks.
