STONE FETE 1 July 2012 with the Iconic Legion supporting Vader's Lost

Stone Fete in conjunction with Cherished Memories and Vader's Lost and Iconic Legion

Pam Rose and I had the greatest pleasure to be asked by Steve Smith of Vader's Lost and Iconic Legion to attend this event in Stone, near Dartford Kent. The weather was a typical English affair - mid-summer rain, cloud, and occasional sun, but it made no difference to the day, with a great turnout locally and all for a great cause - Cherished Memories  run by the irrepressible Suzette Abbott!

Ahh! The loneliness of the long-distance Jawa! lol.
 Young Tom Anderson heads out to do his worst! :)

We had a good turnout of costumers, all ready (even though more then a couple had just completed night shifts!) to get out there and mix with the crowds to collect as much as we could. The hero of the piece for me was Tom Anderson, the most junior of our troop, dressed as a Jawa. Tom is a great lad with a heart of gold and unending energy! Even in the pouring rain he was still out there collecting in his bucket!

The brochure of the charity, Cherished Memories.

The event got underway with an announcement from the music stage, onto which Pam, Clare Robson of the Iconic Legion and myself made little speeches of welcome and gave an explanation of what we were collecting for. Our trooping fellows lined up in front of us and, as they were introduced by Clare, were 'marked by Dale Who, a very mischievous Doctor Who, with his inflatable hammer! :)

Dale lends his unique touch to introductions!

As the day progressed, the cloud base descended, but we carried on collecting - especially Pam, whose style of charm/threat illicited a goodly bucket-load of change and notes! Pam has a way with words and some of them are quite surprising! :)

Pam and Adam Leishman as the ever popular Cyberman

On the Cherished Memories stall, I joined Suzette Abbott and her volunteers as they attracted a constant stream of people to the tombola. I was there to encourage the public to participate and provided signed photos to those that spent a lot. Even the Lady Mayor came and got the bit between her teeth..and won a prize! The local scout troops were there in numbers and I have seldom met so many well-behaved and polite children in the atmosphere of a fairground!

Dr Who, the Cyberman and Darth Vader provide an intriguing opening shot for a fantasy episode!

The collecting bucket...

In the end, the weather got the better of us, but not before we had raised in the region of £1,000!!! So, a heartfelt vote of thanks to all attending and to the people of Stone and Dartford, who turned out in such numbers!

The wonderful members of Iconic Legion and Vader's Lost - find them on Facebook!

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! :)