Two charities are set to benefit from the Big Screen Weekends in Huddersfield.
The events featuring free movies on giant screens will be in St George’s Square on a couple of weekends this summer.
Huddersfield Town Foundation will benefit from the weekend of Friday, June 26 to Sunday, June 28 and Kirkwood Hospice will gain from Friday, August 21 to Sunday, August 23.
During the Big Screen Weekends, St George’s Square will play host to a supersize outdoor LED cinema screen featuring films chosen by families from across West Yorkshire. At the same time there will be a host of food and drink stalls with accompanying seating and gazebos offering family fun and entertainment.
The Big Screen Weekends, which will run from 10am-9pm each day, were conceived following the success of the Tour de Yorkshire and the Festival of Light 2014 which combined big screen movie showings with food and drink stalls, attracting thousands of visitors to the town centre. The screen will also be used for advertisers’ videos and short films relating to Huddersfield.
The event is being sponsored by Huddersfield recruitment firm Stafflex and managing director Brian Stahelin said: “We are thrilled to be able to put on these special events in the square which provide entertainment for the public while at the same time offering a fantastic opportunity for two very hard-working charities to get more exposure for the terrific work they do.
“We specifically chose these charities because they operate in the region and provide a vital service that benefits local people. We are currently in discussion with the charities’ representatives and with other supporters of the event to identify ways in which they can use the two weekends to gain more supporters, raise more funds and give some of the users of their respective charities a memorable experience.”
The Huddersfield Town Foundation was officially launched in July 2012 by Huddersfield Town chairman, Dean Hoyle, and works in schools to help children get the best out of their education. One way is by providing free breakfasts in schools which set the youngsters up for the day’s learning.
Foundation fundraising manager Mandy Taylor said: “To be chosen as a charity partner truly is a great privilege and will provide a unique opportunity for the charity to raise awareness and hopefully a few pounds too which will ultimately ensure that we can continue to make a significant difference to the lives of children and young people in our community.”
Gabrielle Butler, fundraiser at Kirkwood Hospice, said: “This will be a fantastic free event for families to attend over the summer. Partnerships are key to our success and as one of the chosen charity partners we will be there throughout the August weekend. Be sure to seek us out to discover more about Kirkwood’s upcoming events and services.”
Kirklees Local TV – a social enterprise that produces Huddersfield TV and other local channels – will also be providing footage of Huddersfield and local events.
Milton Brown from KLTV said: “We’re very excited to be part of this venture.”
The Big Screen Weekends are being organised by Huddersfield-based Food Festivals Ltd.
