The Peter Pan story: theatre, panto, schools and more

JM Barrie, the author of Peter Pan, was a supporter of Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) during his lifetime.

In 1929, he was approached to sit on a committee to help the hospital buy land so it could build a much-needed new wing.

Barrie declined but said that he “hoped to find another way to help”. Two months later, the board learned that Barrie had donated the rights to Peter Pan to GOSH.

For almost a century, this extraordinary gift has supported the hospital’s vital work, helping to give seriously ill children lives that are fuller, funner and longer.

Through theatre productions, school performances, musicals and more, Peter Pan continues to benefit Great Ormond Street Hospital Charity (GOSH Charity) to this day. Keep reading to find out more.

James Matthew Barrie was born in Scotland on 9 May 1860.

His older brother, David, died after a skating accident just before his 14th birthday. Some believe the idea of eternal childhood stuck with Barrie, inspiring Peter Pan.

In 1897, Barrie met the Arthur and Sylvia Llewelyn Davies and their sons in Kensington Gardens, London. They formed a close friendship, and Barrie went on to become the boys’ guardian when Arthur and Sylvia passed away.

It’s widely believed that the Llewelyn Davies boys (pictured below) were the inspiration behind the characters of the Lost Boys.

Visit our Neverland site to delve further into the history of Peter Pan and meet some the story’s other famous characters.

Thanks to JM Barrie’s generous gift, all UK performances of Peter Pan support GOSH Charity.

For information on Peter Pan copyright, head to our Neverland website.

GOSH has always honoured Barrie’s wishes of never sharing the amount raised for the hospital from Peter Pan royalties. But to this day, Peter Pan continues to help GOSH go above and beyond for seriously ill children.

The special relationship between Peter Pan and GOSH is reflected in the hospital’s iconic Peter Pan and Tinkerbell sculpture, pictured below.

The bronze statue, showing Peter Pan blowing fairy dust, was sculpted by Diarmund O’Connor. It was originally installed outside the hospital in 2000 and was unveiled by former Prime Minister Lord Callaghan.

Lord Callaghan and his wife Audrey – then chair of the board of governors at GOSH – played a pivotal role in securing a special provision in the UK’s 1988 Copyright Designs & Patents Act. This unique amendment granted GOSH the right to royalties from Peter Pan in perpetuity, ensuring that J.M. Barrie’s original gift to the hospital continued beyond the expiration of standard copyright.

Tinkerbell and the thimble were added in 2005, the same year the Callaghans died.

In November 2023, the sculpture moved from the hospital’s main entrance to prepare for construction of the new Children’s Cancer Centre. It will return once the centre is complete.