Recent updates

No I am Shakespeare!

An update for Bristol Shakespeare Festival

Jul 4 2018

Fantastic Globe selfies and great reviews , can only mean one thing, 1599 is here!!!

Audience Reviews

Great show exploring one of the most important and eventful years in the career of Bill Shakespeare - playfully combines the past and present to explore what might have inspired As You Like It, Hamlet, Julius Caesar and the building of the Globe. Loved the gender-swapped roles - especially the female Shakespeare! Enjoyed the in-the-round performance culminating with a magical building of the Globe Theatre itself.​

1599 is a witty and amusing suggestion of where Shakespeare’s incredible works may have come from. 

The performance was engaging from start to finish.

We can't wait for you to come and enjoy the best seats in the house :)

But please do continue to spread the word about our fundraiser and 1599 A Year in the Life of William Shakespeare. We want to go on to develop new shows, encourage creatives and bring and engage the word of Shakespeare to EVERYBODY!!

A really important update (and some football references - it seemed topical)

An update for Help Save the Bedminster Winter Lantern Parade

Jul 2 2018

I don’t know what to say.  I really don’t.

As I may have hinted yesterday, I was a bit nervous about hitting our target in the next two weeks.  That was a bit of an understatement.  I had about the same tension levels as Peter Schmeichel during yesterday evening’s penalty shootout between Denmark and Croatia.

What I didn’t expect was today’s news, which made me feel like this:

(and I might have used some of the “Language” than observant lipreaders might have spotted during his happy outburst)

For, today we received a donation, which has meant we have only hecking well hit the target!  And that means, unlike poor Denmark, victory is ours! Ours!

That's right!  You heard it!

The Bedminster Winter Lantern Parade 2018 is on!  That’s right!  It is on! You are the first to know this news because you, you awesome people you, are the reason why it will be a thing.

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts to each and every one of you!

But the story doesn’t end here. 

Not by a long shot.

We’re through to the next round!

We’re going to be able to put on the Parade this year, but it will use up all of our Emergency Super Back Up Cash Stash that we have in reserve to keep our collective heads above water.

Anything that we raise from here on in increases the chance of there being a 2019 Bedminster Winter Lantern Parade (I can’t believe I’m saying that!), so lets keep the momentum going.

We still have a host of lovely rewards available (including some super treats I had been keeping to one side just in case we needed a big push), so you know what to do – keep on sharing and hassling friends, family and perfect strangers to donate to keep the Bedminster Winter Lantern Parade shining!

And I'm out of football references.  Thank goodness.

Thank you so much, folks!

love from the #bemmylanterns team x

We're learning from our schools

An update for Help Save the Bedminster Winter Lantern Parade

Jul 1 2018

We love our schools!

14 days and £1,165 left to go.  I’m not scared.  Are you scared?  I’m not scared.  OK, a bit scared.  But hope is currently outweighing despair, thanks to the news we’ve had this week about what some of our local schools have been up to.  First up, the amazing PTFA at Holy Cross Primary School came up with the cracking idea of selling ice creams – huge thank you to Marisa Dee and your colleagues! We cam’t wait to see how much you raised!

Yesterday we got the brilliant news from Sharon Redfern:

“Last week Luckwell Primary School was transformed into Luckwell Town, with children acquiring new skills and learning about finances. At the end of the week, parents could exchange money into pounds to spend at Luckwell Town. Luckwell School has chosen to donate the £250 raised to the Bedminster Lantern Parade” 

Woop!

And then I got a knock on the front door and it turns out that Ashton Gate Primary School have been fundraising too.  Beech Class and the PTA team raised over £150 in ice cream sales, and also held a dress down day in support of the Lantern Parade.  We look forward to seeing how much they’ve raised too.

So what are we learning? 

We're learning just how how flipping fantastic all the kids, parents, carers and teachers at our school are. 

It means so much to us all that you are doing to keep the Bedminster Winter Lantern Parade going.  Without you, we’d be totally stuffed!

Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts.

We’re not out of the woods yet, so keep on donating and sharing like crazy.

We can do this!

The last push!!!

An update for New Album - Songs For Rojava

Jun 27 2018

Hi folks

Just a quick update to let you know there are only four days left on this crowdfunder, and I'd really appreciate it if those who've already contributed could give it one last push on social media. Please share the link to this crowdfunder and encourage any friends and comrades to support the project so we can make sure Songs for Rojava reaches the widest audience possible. Once again, thanks for all your help and support so far.

Peace and solidarity 

Lee

1599 in Rehearsal

An update for Bristol Shakespeare Festival

Jun 21 2018

Hello Bristol Bard Buddies  

Thank you again for your generous pledge

1599 is now in rehearsal !  - So look forward to enjoying your VIP seats  and checking out your Elizabethan Goody bag 

Please continue to spread the word about this fantastic fundraiser for the Bristol Shakespeare Festival and give others the chance to enjoy all of the fantastic rewards on offer :)

I do love a good Bon Jovi moment

An update for Help Save the Bedminster Winter Lantern Parade

Jun 19 2018

and at eleven minutes past ten this evening we had the one I'd been waiting for. 

Get ready....drumroll......

Thanks to you lovely donors, we hit £1,970 this evening and I am jumping around my living room, pointing my fingers into the air hissing "yessssssssss!"

We've been watching the fundometer closely and gnawing out nails for the past few days, and we are so incredibly pleased by your responses so far.  Bon Jovi pleased, in fact.

All we need to do now hammer that second half, and we'll have the 2018 Lantern Parade after all. So get sharing and pestering your lovely friends, family, colleagues, neighbours, random strangers and we'll get there!

Take my hand, we'll make it I swear!

(sorry - quite excited over here)

Dear Superheroes

An update for Help Save the Bedminster Winter Lantern Parade

Jun 12 2018

...for that is what you are

We are a week into our epic crowdfunding journey, and the #bemmylanterns committee are staggered by the generosity of our community.

I won’t pretend that we’re there yet and it’s all plain sailing, but when we decided to try using Fundsurfer, it was our last-ditch attempt to raise the money after months of hard work trying to secure the funds through other means.

We were feeling very discouraged and genuinely didn’t know if we could pull it off again.

All of us on the committee love the Parade and would move heaven and earth to put on the project that has been embraced by the people of South Bristol for what is getting towards a decade.

Your contribution has helped in two ways. It has helped get to first quarter of that £3,800 we desperately need, and it has reminded us why we do this every year, that the Bedminster Winter Lantern Parade is loved and something worth fighting for.

That aside, we still have ¾ of our journey to go so please, please please donate, share and bother anyone and everyone you know to help us get to our target.

If we don’t make £3,800 all will have been for naught.

Update: Songs for Rojava

An update for New Album - Songs For Rojava

Jun 12 2018

Hello there comrades!

I just wanted to post a quick update to thank you all for the continued contributions, and to let you know the total has now reached £170!! Excellent!

There is still a long way to go, but the donations so far will make a massive difference to both the quality of the album, and the distribution options. (Just so you know, if the crowdfunder goes above £400, I can afford to send 100 professional manufactured CDs out to Kurdish solidarity and campaign groups around the UK and Europe. Those organisations can then sell the albums at their fundraisers and events :)

Once again, thanks for your support for this project, and please keep sharing this crowdfunder with your friends and comrades. 

I'll post another update in a few days and let you know how it's going. 

Thanks again!

Lee

Dad

An update for Dad's Garden

Jun 10 2018

We have now been told that there is nothing they can do for my dad and he has been given 3months. We would love nothing more than b able to show him his garden why we still have him here. Please help if you can. Thankyou xx

Bristol Shakespeare Festival 2018 opens

An update for Bristol Shakespeare Festival

Jun 10 2018

Hello Bristol Bard Buddies  it's not even July and the festival has well and truly opened! With bright sunshine and two fantastic shows from the Handlebards, Romeo and Juliet and 12th Night,  the Shakespeare silly season is upon us! 

In case you haven't seen it here is a link to the huge programme available this year

 http://www.bristolshakespearefestival.org.uk/bsf2018/ 

and if you are based in Bristol you should be seeing a beautiful hard copy of this popping up in your local cafe/ theatre / library/ museum. 

Massive thanks again for all your generosity -  enjoy the sun , the shows and please continue to spread the Bristol Shakespeare Fundsurfer

https://www.fundsurfer.com/crowdfund/bristol-shakespeare-festival

to all your friends, family,  colleagues, and random strangers on the street!  

Warm Wishes

BSF