Photo by Sallycat101 on Flickr
GREAT buns...
It's nearly midnight and still no sign of Dick.
He's behind you!
Well actually, no he's not yet and it will be a couple of months before he will be.
Oh how we love a good panto.
So now, as the supermarket shelves are already filling with whopping great tins of Quality Street and Christmas cake, it's a good a time as any to tell you about our Great Panto Review 2009 campaign.
Have a Lovely Time contributors from across the UK are rubbing their lamps and wishing for pantomime review tickets. Most also have their own blog, with loyal readerships, of varying shapes and sizes and their reviews will also be published on these sites.
Major sites Parentdish, through Joanne Mallon and Livingwithkids, through Liz Jarvis have also agreed to take up the baton.
Top UK bloggers Jo Beaufoix, Tara at Sticky Fingers, Susanna at AModernMother and Ian at Singleparentdad, as well as at least a couple of dozen more are licking their nibs in anticipation.
We're delighted that theatres in the Midlands, North West and South East have already agreed to take part by providing review tickets or have been in touch independently to offer tickets for review.
Because Have a Lovely Time is all about families having fun, often on holiday, we also wanted to boost a charity which helps children gain some very happy memories. Each blogger receiving tickets will be asked to make a donation of a sum of their choice to The National Alliance of Childhood Cancer Parent Organisations, which provides holidays for youngsters.
Fundraiser Rachael Olley is a Have A Lovely Time contributor.
We want to include a series of reviews in December 2009/January 2010 under the heading "The Great Panto Review."
A social media campaign will promote the reviews. This will include Facebook, Twitter, www.britishmummybloggers.co.uk, Stumbleupon etc, bringing a fabulous potential readership and lots of opportunities for discussion and cross posting about how much we enjoyed the show.
We are also planning publicity material about the collaborative blogging initiative.
Blog badges and a Twitter hashtag will be included, giving us an opportunity to spread the word further.
Our major social media campaign will depend on us also including the younger members of the audience's view and as bloggers on family entertainment, it is vital that children's views are also included.
How can you help?
Have a Lovely Time contributors
If you would like to take part, or have already got your tickets, please blog about this initiative. Please link to this post to help spread the message.
Watch out for our updates about a blog badge and Twitter hashtag for nearer the time.
Please have a look at NACCPO. Please consider donating a sum, regardless of much you feel you can afford. Every little helps.
You can do this quickly and simply online.
Please contact me to check that your local theatre has not yet been contacted. Please make sure you have the information supplied about how to contact your local theatre and let me know if you haven't.
Be prepared to follow up with your local theatre to ensure the best chance of accessing review tickets.
Please refer your theatre's press officers or marketing managers to me if they have any queries. They can email me at linda@passionatemedia.co.uk
PRs
Please support our Great Panto Review and NACCPO by providing UK parent bloggers contributing to Have a Lovely Time and their own blogs, with review tickets for your fantastic Christmas productions.
Please contact me if you have any queries.
You can read some of the feedback and publicity about our blog. More information about 'reach' and reader numbers is available on request.
Look forward to seeing you all at the Great Panto Review 2009!
Even if it means this year, there'll be no Barrowman for me. Lucky old Cardiff has him this year!
I'm on the case ... Leeds and Bradford
Posted by: Laura Driver | 09/21/2009 at 04:16 PM
Sounds like a fabulous idea. About time theatres got in on the great blogging revolution - sure the canny ones will realise that this is simply a brilliant way to spread the word.
I'd be tempted by Taunton or Exeter.....but too bunged up with cold to get in touch right now.... :(
Posted by: Jane Alexander | 09/21/2009 at 05:02 PM
I'm busy pestering in ROI and NI - oh yes I am!
Posted by: English Mum | 09/21/2009 at 05:03 PM
Hi Laura, great stuff but please leave all appliances at home.
Hi Jane - thank you - I thought that as ther likes of Disney and Butlins were interested in what we had to say, that we could turn that into something very positive.
Hello Mrs English Mother - thank you - sounds great. Are any of those nice B*witched girls in panto this year?
Posted by: Linda | 09/21/2009 at 07:31 PM
Hang on... "Boooo Hisssss!" "Oh yes he is!" I have to get in practice after all!
Posted by: Pippa | 09/21/2009 at 08:46 PM
I'd love to try and put Edinburgh on the 'Great Panto Review 2009' map, but I've accidently deleted the email, can you send me the text again, chief. Ta. X
Posted by: Littlemummy | 09/21/2009 at 09:30 PM
Looking forward to this, good luck with it!
Posted by: Katie via facebook | 09/22/2009 at 08:45 AM
Here's hoping you can pull in the pounds for NACCPO, Rachael wrote a lovely piece for this site.
Posted by: Julie | 09/22/2009 at 09:43 AM
Sounds like a great idea. Oh no it doesn't......Oh yes it does!
Posted by: Paul | 09/22/2009 at 09:53 AM
Have made contact with Wimbledon and fingers crossed it'll be sorted. Oh yes it will!
Posted by: Liz (LivingwithKids) | 09/22/2009 at 01:55 PM
I've secured tickets to Edinburgh's Kings Theatre thanks to Ruth the PR & Marketing Manager. Glad that we can support NACCPO.
Posted by: Littlemummy | 09/22/2009 at 03:24 PM
Excellent news Erica, there are several more venues who have been in touch to confirm tickets too, so all good news.
Thanks, Liz, Paul, Julie and Katie. x
To support NACCPO, please click on the link at the top right hand side of this page and see who is hiding behind the burger buns.
Posted by: Linda | 09/22/2009 at 03:49 PM
Very, very excited to be reviewing John Barrowman in Robin Hood at the New Theatre in Cardiff (to whom BIG thanks). Very proud to be supporting this charity, too.
Posted by: Patricia Carswell | 09/23/2009 at 12:52 PM
Will be reviewing Aladdin in my hometown of sunny Mansfield, and still waiting to hear from Nottingham. Misses E and M can't wait. Ok, neither can I. :D
Posted by: Jo Beaufoix | 09/24/2009 at 03:33 PM
Hurrah, Tara @ Stickyfingers has Joe Pasquale in the bag.
Posted by: Linda | 09/24/2009 at 05:10 PM
I've got us tickets for Sleeping Beauty at the Prince of Wales theate in Cannock, can't wait!
Posted by: Carol Garrington | 09/30/2009 at 05:09 PM
I just wanted to say a HUGE THANK YOU on behalf of NACCPO. On a personal level I love this site and have enjoyed contributing and will continue to do so! With my charity head on I am extremely grateful for the wonderful opportunity this is to raise funds for us and also just as importantly to spread the word about NACCPO and the work that we do with the very limited funds we have in place. Even the large charities are facing cutbacks in services due to the financial downturn so when it comes to a small charity it is very difficult at the moment. Our new scheme working with hoteliers/attractions in Devon is going from strength to strength www.thhn.co.uk and we have already been able to send far more families on much-needed breaks than we ever imagined and the scheme only started in August 2009! We can't take the credit for the scheme it is the brainchild of a wonderful man called Luke Tillen but we are continuing to support him and our families any way we can. Thank you so much to all the bloggers and reviewers for being so generous, to the theatres for getting involved and of course to Havealovelytime.com for giving us this fantastic opportunity.
Posted by: Rachael Olley | 10/03/2009 at 10:01 PM
Hi Linda and everyone
Just to add that the Stag Theatre in Sevenoaks has also said 'yes'.
Looking forward to seeing Michelle Gayle and others in Dick Whittington.
Cheers, Jo x
Posted by: Jo Wildman | 10/06/2009 at 07:09 AM
Great news, well done Jo. x
Posted by: Linda | 10/07/2009 at 11:00 AM