Geordie Stars gathered for a One-off Event in Ouseburn last night for a Special Screening
of PURELY BELTER The Movie to celebrate 18 years since it was filmed in the region.
Tim Healy, Charlie Hardwick, Val Mclane, Charlie Richmond, Daniel Lake, Chris Beattie, Greg McLane, Jody Baldwin,
Anna Kerrigan-Gascoigne, Chris Wiper and other cast members turned up to take part in a Q&A session after the screening –
Which was Hosted by the Event Organiser & Show Promoter, Chris Cross – Newcastle’s Favourite Magician!
The SOLD OUT Show at The New Community Blackfriars Ouseburn Cinema at St. Vincent’s raised over £3,000 and it’s money that will be staying in the region. A Donation has been made to David Whittaker, a local actor who suffered a stroke and needs fundraising to help cover costs to improve his wellbeing that are not included on the NHS. Another donation has been made to The Jay Lennon Foundation for Mental Health beds in Newcastle Hospitals.
Jay, nephew of Paul Gascoigne, sadly passed away in April 2016.
Chris Cross Says: ”It’s great to have raised a few quid for charity that will stay and help our area, instead of helping fun some big charity’s fancy office in London! A lot of hard graft went into last night’s event and I’m pleased it paid off, both in terms of fundraising success and as a great way to mark a landmark milestone for a cult Geordie film! I’ve been a fan of the film since high school and it’s in my top ten! Alan Shearer was unable to attend but sent an amusing video message about getting his car nicked in the film! I was particularly pleased Tim Healy accepted my invitation – it was great to see him looking back to good health and working again (despite becoming a pensioner this week, haha!) I simply couldn’t let the 18th Birthday since it was filmed pass under the radar… So I gathered cast members and told them my idea of a screening and Q&A which got a great response, so I put it all together. I could have sold it out three times over – it’s great to see how popular the film remains today.”
The Celebratory Evening was enjoyed by a packed audience of football and film fans, who all had a Great time, asking questions to some of the North East’s favourite faces! The cast recalled stories about playing practical jokes to each other on set, bloopers whilst filming and why they thought Purely Belter didn’t quite get the credit it deserved. It was amazing to see Gerry & Sewell back together again, after not seeing each other or being in touch at all since actual filming –
We were treated to a few familiar quotes including the lines of that famous pound scene and Tim Healy even sung a bit of Elvis by request too!
Without a doubt, the evening was a tremendous success in terms of cash raised and a maximum capacity attendance…
Everyone who managed to get a ticket got their money’s worth plus much more – a night that won’t be forgotten for a long while!