Waverley Care and the Pleasance have been working together for more than 25 years

The Fringe’s longest running funding partnership has hit the £500,000 mark.

Volunteers and staff at Waverley Care and the Pleasance celebrated this week as the milestone figure was reached.

The total was announced at a reception to thank Pleasance staff for their support. Waverley Care and the Pleasance Theatre Trust have been working together since 1992, providing a platform to raise money and awareness of HIV and hepatitis C in Scotland.

At the start of the 2018 Fringe, the partners were £25,000 short of the half a million mark – a total passed after collections at the Pleasance Courtyard from last Saturday were counted. For the first time, supporters have been able to donate using contactless technology.

The partners are now setting their sights on their record bucket-collection total of £37,970, achieved in 2016 when the partnership celebrated its 25th Fringe together.

The money raised at the Pleasance each August contributes to Waverley Care’s work - supporting people living with or affected by HIV and hepatitis C, and working with communities to prevent new infections.

Waverley Care’s senior fundraiser, Karen Docwra said: “Passing the £500,000 mark is an absolutely amazing achievement and a fitting tribute to our unique relationship with the Pleasance.

“From way back in 1992, when we only had a handful of volunteers, to 2018, when around 120 people will get involved, all of the money raised has helped us to make a huge difference to people living with or affected by HIV or hepatitis C.

“We’d like to say a huge thank you to the staff at the Pleasance, to all of our amazing volunteers and to our Fringe coordinators over the years who have helped us get to this point.”