Cast and crew members from a West End musical collected thousands of pounds for a tree planting campaign by hosting a themed fundraising day.

Performers from the smash hit show ‘Wicked’ brought in more than £16,500 through a number of events and experiences, which will be used to plant 11,000 trees Heartwood Forest, St Albans.

The long-standing relationship between the production and the Woodland Trust has seen almost 40,000 trees planted in the forest over seven years.

Michael McCabe, executive producer of Wicked in the UK, paid tribute to the Trust and said that the legacy in Heartwood Forest is important to everyone in the company.

As part of the fundraising campaign, theatre-goers were encouraged to take an ‘#ElphieSelfie snapshot of their visit to the Wicked photobooth at the Apollo Victoria Theatre.

The team created bespoke picture frames themed to the production, signed pictures and merchandise, and provided exclusive experiences – all of which were made available for auction on eBay.

Those snapped up during the auction week included an afternoon tea with leading characters Elphaba and Glinda, a private singing workshop with the production’s associate musical director, and a ‘Greenifying’ experience with the makeup department.

It also invited the public to sign the Tree Charter, which was launched at Lincoln Castle earlier this year.

It has already gained over 300,000 signatures from the British public and calls for better protection for our irreplaceable woodlands across UK.

Woodland Trust chief executive Beccy Speight, said: “We are extremely grateful to the Wicked team and all the people who donated to our cause for getting more trees planted in the UK.

“Over the course of this partnership, the Wicked cast and company have done some amazing work to support us through their creative fundraising endeavours.

“It is a real achievement that they have helped us to plant 11,000 trees. A huge thank you to all those who got involved.”