After months of negotiation and planning, the Island will this week play host to the charity premiere of the eagerly-awaited next episode in the Star Wars saga, The Last Jedi. The event is being held in aid of Cowes-based youth charity UKSA.
In December 2015, Wightfibre held their first charity premiere to raise funds for UKSA and a total of over £3,000 was achieved. UKSA have put the donations to great use and among other things, they added to their fleet with a much needed new dinghy. The RS Quaba Dinghy which was purchased with the money raised was aptly named Princess Leia by Wighfibre customers to honour the late Carrie Fisher, who sadly passed away at the end of 2016.
John Irvine, CEO of WightFibre comments:
“This is a real coup. Being able to once again secure this charity premiere for the Island and to support such a great Island based charity as UKSA is really important to us. We are grateful to the team at Cineworld for all their support in once again working with us to bring this event to the Island.”
This year’s event will see a select audience of under 300 VIP guests in attendance at Cineworld Newport, where they will be seated in the largest screen within the complex. Before the movie begins, guests will have the opportunity to take part in a charity auction conducted by Rex Gully of Hose Rhodes Dickson Fine Art Auctioneers. The auction boasts some exciting and exclusive lots, including original film cells from Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, luxury products from Liz Earle and even a replica Storm Trooper helmet.
Paul Topping of Isle of Wight radio will be in attendance as compare for the evening and there will also be a charity raffle with a chance to win a chocolate R2D2 or Luxury Spa experience.
As you may have seen, Wightfibre, Island Echo and the County Press have been running competitions over the last few months to win a pair of VIP tickets to this event and we look forward to welcoming all of our lucky winners with a glass of bubbles and drink and bag of sweets to enjoy with the film.
Keep an eye on Wightfibre’s Facebook and Twitter pages on Thursday, we’ll be sharing news from the event as it happens.
