TIMELESS COLLECTORS - Film, TV and Toy Collection Extravaganza!

http://www.timelesscollectors.com

I was absolutely delighted to be asked again to this event by Chris Tarrant and his great team, in the company of the wonderful Pam Rose. Every time we have attended Chris's events we have had a splendid experience and shared the signing task with great co-guests! This time was no exception!!!

This time, Rusty Goffe and Derek Lyons were absent from the event, but Ted Western made an appearance in their stead and delighted the crowds. Also attending, but purely as a member of the public, was Alan Harris, who played Bossk the Bounty Hunter! He had come to deliver something to Pam Rose and was recognised by quite a few people. As always, he was very generous and signed a few items when requested. He also asked to meet one of the Dorset Troopers attending in character - Paul Robbins - who was dressed in the costume of another Bounty Hunter - Dengar. Below is a picture of their meeting and I can tell you Paul was bowled over to have been sought out by Alan for a chat! :)

Charity caricature of guests by Tim Dowler

Alan Harris with Paul Robbins

Like the idiot I can often show myself up as being (I said it first LOL) I forgot my lovely camera and so resorted to taking a few pics with the phone. Not quite as good, but identifiable! It was great to see how many from the Dorset Troopers turned out for this event. Below is a group photo...

The Dorset Troopers

It was also great meeting up with old friends who come every time to support this event and I felt happy that so many came up to say hello again! Such friendly people! Must be the water LOL!!!!

Pam and birthday boy, Dave Oldbury in his Octopus hat :)

Alan Harris with Bobba Fett (Jason Deakin) and Dengar (Paul Robbins).

Pam, Ted Western, Brian Wheeler (back to camera) and John Coppinger beyond.

Anyway, I want to thank everyone involved with the day for their kindness and consideration all round! Here's to the next one!!!

Melksham Comic Con, 2012

This is an entirely new venture organised by the intrepid Hayley Spencer, owner of the comic shop, Komix in Melksham, Wiltshire.
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Pam Rose, Peter Roy and myself were invited to attend as the first actors and all arrangements were spot-on and sorted in a very timely and professional manner.

We all arrived at the hotel we were booked into for the night prior to the event, called The Kings Arms - a typically rambling 15/16th century coaching inn built in the local Cotswold Stone. Opposite the hotel stands the Assembly Halls and the venue for the event. We all three went to our rooms, came down and had a drink and then met Hayley and her excellent crew of family and helpers for a brief (our fault) meet and greet. All the other comic artists and vendors also came and we made our apologies to go to dinner elsewhere - something which had been planned weeks in advance.

The following day - the day of the show - we were up and ready before the chef had even turned in to make breakfast in the hotel. But, true old hands of eating on the hoof, we bolted down a full English breakfast each and were still early in the hall to set our tables up! Although the venue is not huge, it was incredibly well laid out and offered the public a good mixture of exhibits, vendors, artists and us! Our only slight complaint constructively offered is that the cinema screen facing our position, a mere 20 feet in front of us, was a major diversion for the public as they rounded the corner to come to us and the sound was all but deafening much of the time.

The screen as seen from my chair!

Pam furthest from camera, myself and Peter closest to camera.

At opening doors, a steady flow of visitors came in and it was not long before the hall was fairly buzzing with attendees. Many came as Cosplay characters, which gave the whole show a ring of fun and humour. Darth Vader and a Stormtrooper attended the crowd and performed crowd control in the street outside, as well as collecting money for charity with very good humour. Unaccustomed as we are in the UK, we had to deal with temperatures above the seasonal norm and I salute the costumers for their hard and much appreciated work!

Vader collecting for charity

There was also a droid builder there with two R2 types - one of which was a real star turn! She is known as Zoe Astromech. LOL. A beautiful and detailed build and a droid with attitude to boot! :)

Zoe Astromech

The venue.

I have to point out one amazing guy, who was there making balloon gifts for children and adults alike. His creations were absolutely amazing and produced so fast and accurately that each one I saw blew me away with their inventiveness. Now the main reason for saying all this is that he is not a professional, but a Maths teacher! I wish I had had someone as creative and entertaining as him when I was at school!!!

Dave Hickory - balloon man extraordinary!

One of the balloon creations accomplished in a mere few minutes!

Amongst the Cosplayers, one pair stood out for me - a father and child and pushchair combination pictured below, Sheer fun and thinking outside the box! Congratulations to Dick Dastardly, Muttley and their Wacky race car!!! Loved it! :)

Dick Dastardly, Muttley and their incredible Wacky race car! :)

Lastly, and by no means least, a huge thanks to Hayley Spencer!!! She has made a fantastic job of her first convention and I can only imagine how much more she will bring to future events! Thank you Hayley from all three of us!!!

Hayley Spencer of Komix Melksham.

STEAM at Swindon's Museum of the Great Western Railway

Organised by the excellent Luke of Skywalkers, Swindon, this convention promised to be an attraction for adults and children alike, due to the venue, his fantastic exhibition of Sci-Fi props and costumes and the attendance of a pretty good lineup of Star Wars veterans.

Staged over two days, it will transform into a season of events, but commenced with the Star Wars theme on the 3rd and 4th March 2012. The lineup of guests was pretty comprehensive, including Richard LeParmentier (Admiral Motti), Paul Blake (Greedo), Rusty Goffe (Jawa), Alan Harris (Bossk) and several others.

The signing guests line up for a group shot. From left to right: Pam Rose, Richard LeParmentier,  Paul  Blake, Alan Harris,
Rusty Goffe (in foreground), Ken Coombs, (Mark Penicud), Stephanie English, Alan Flyng and Brian Muir.

The museum housing the exhibition and conventions is a huge space, perfect for this use. We were in a section next to the engine pictured above and were spoilt for space and comfort. Each day there was a steady stream of visitors and masses of children. This pleased all of us and it was wonderful to see that nearly all were extremely well-behaved and responsive to being asked questions. Truly the kids make these events so special - they are the future of the fan base and costuming hobby.

A small unit came to interview us all and Pam preferred to be interviewed with the interviewer on her lap! LOL

It was delightful to meet new costumers trooping this event. The SO16 and Galactic Knights were there as well as two Fem Troopers, both of whom looked great! :)

The first day was capped with a fantastic carvery meal, to which we were all invited and I have to say the meal was absolutely delicious!!!

The second day was as busy as the first and we all had an opportunity to chat with the Steam Museum management, who came to visit us and ask our opinions of the event, which I thought was very nice of them. They, like us, are firmly of the opinion that this event will become a staple of their events seasons to come and I am sure, with Luke at the helm, it will be a major attraction for fans nationwide!

The Dogs Trust, Shoreham Christmas Open Day

This looked-forward-to event was my first with the Iconic Legion - a group of great costumers of all disciplines - attending the Christmas Fayre of The Dogs Trust, Shoreham by Sea, West Sussex.

Although only a small event, the trust is so worthwhile supporting, as it guarantees to never unnecessarily destroy any dog, rather, they will house and try to re-home all dogs in their care. The open day event was very well attended by the public and Trust supporters, who gave the Iconic Legion's trooping members a very warm and generous reception. I wanted to support their attendance, as I very much admire the work of the Trust, as well as support the Iconic Legion as their sole Honorary Member!

Many former rescue dogs came back to say hello - they all knew where the kennels were! LOL

I found myself placed in a chicane formed by my table and the only entry to the kennels, where the visiting public were able to visit their sponsored friends and prospective new owners could look for hopeful new canine family members... :) So, I was spoilt by the attention of every dog and owner in the building!

Just one of the beatiful dogs looking for new homes.

As the day passed, I was gratified that so many wanted to buy a bookmark or a photo as a Christmas present for family members, with all proceeds going to the Trust. I met some lovely people and especially a cutie called Henry pictured below.

Henry and Mum!

The Homing Centre is airy, nicely decorated and very welcoming, as well as the kennel block being beautifully designed - not a cage or bar to be seen! It was truly a delightful time I had there!

A celebratory glass of champers for the group after the public had left. The crutches in the foreground belong to the brave Adam Leishman, who had suffered a rusty nail through his foot, yet still managed to troop in his red and white Clonetrooper!

It had been arranged that we would all go to a gastro-pub for a meal after and so we headed for Shoreham High Street and the pub below...

The gastro-pub, the Crown and Anchor beside the estuary.

So, there we were - all stuffed full and giggled out in good company! I am so grateful to all present for allowing me to be there with them and I recommend to anyone who is either the owner of a canon or non-canon costume to join this group of lovely people! I'm already looking forward to the next time! :)

Timeless Collectors' TV, Film,Toy and Collectors' Fair, Totton, Nr. Southampton.

It is that pre-festive time of year again, when we make our way down towards the South Coast and attend the Timeless Collectors' TV, Film, and Toy Collectors' Fair, organised by Chris Tarrant and friends.

The event was this year being held in The Conservative Club, Totton in aid of Clic Sargent South Region and, with the exception of Derek Lyons, Colin Baker and Ted Western having to cancel, featured the guests pictured above (Andrew Lawden replacing Derek Lyons). As usual, Pam Rose and I drove down together to share each other's company and stop me from drifting off to sleep on the way home!!! The journey in both directions was characterised by thick fog, but it didn't hold us up at all. Pam is such fun to be with! We are always cackling like demented idiots together and hardly notice the time spent driving.

We arrived around 9 AM and set ourselves up after a lovely welcome from all present - like a family reunion! Richard LeParmentier sat between us and was really entertaining all day and a real showman for the visitors! Another joy was to be with Rusty Goffe again, who's droll and sometimes quite acerbic humour cut through the din of the crowd and endlessly made me chuckle! Michael Henbury and Brian Wheeler were also in very good spirits and had a good day, I think. Andrew Lawden got a taste of a really nice, friendly show with a lovely atmosphere - so different from others we have attended together!

Pam and adorable Ewok with Richard LeParmentier looking on.

Richard enjoying himself immensely.

Andrew Lawden signing for a Dutch fan - Ettore Holle.

The irrepressible Rusty Goffe!

Brian Wheeler - a very charming and friendly gentleman.

Michael Henbury - Britain's smallest man - with his son. There is nothing small about this actor's heart!

John Chapman was also present with a fantastic stand and display, selling his innovative and popular children's books about the adventures of Jonnie Rocket. The kids were obviously taken with them and I hope they continue to bring joy to more and mote children! http://www.jonnierocket.com/

John Chapman, the author of Jonnie Rocket.

Another bonus was meeting up with troopers from The Dorset Troopers, Southern Troopers and other costumers I have become friends with. The visitors had a very good show of costumes to admire and the children, though loud :), had a great time (which is what it's all about for me!).

Pictured with members of the excellent Dorset Troopers.

As usual, I took HM The Queen with me to weave her magic spell on the table (and attempt to get another morsel of extra value for my tax pound out of her). Everyone laughs when they see the figure, but it cuts the shyness of children and makes the adults laugh automatically. Thanks Liz!!!

HM The Queen, Dave Oldbury and me!

So, my thanks go out again to Chris Tarrant and his remarkable team for the splendid show and friendly welcome given, not only to us, but to the visitors who streamed constantly though the doors, thanks to the exhaustive preparation and effort to promote this highly enjoyable event! We all look forward to the next! :)

Carol Streak with Britain's Got Talent's, Stu Arnold - the Entertainernator!