An all round Wicked Day at the Lindley Hall
Howard Lake | 3 November 2008 | News
Wicked Day 2008 at the Lindley Hall promised to be bigger, better and greener than ever and it certainly lived up to that promise. The queue of people lining up around the block, hours before the show opened (in the rain), spoke for itself.
Organised by Michael McCabe Productions (MMP) and hosted by the cast from the hit musical Wicked, it celebrated the success of the West End show, the fans’ unfaltering loyalty and the relationships the show has with numerous organisations, charities and companies.
This was the third event in the UK and the festivities raised money for the horticultural charity Thrive, which offers gardening therapy to make a real difference to the lives of people with a disability. Wicked Day is an international event, taking places in eight cities around the world including New York, Tokyo, Melbourne and Stuttgart. This was the first time the show appeared at the Royal Horticultural Halls (RHH) and the day’s highlights included a charity auction and performances by Richmond and Chigwell Stagecoach Theatre Arts Schools.
Luke Shires, production associate at MMP, was sold on the Lindley Hall at the first viewing: “The location in Victoria is fantastic, as it’s
where Wicked has been based for the past two years. This, tied in with the fact that the event supports and encourages green living, whether that be recycling or gardening, made the Halls a perfect location.”
Throughout the day, more than 1300 visitors turned out for the multitude of activities including workshops, autograph signings, discussion groups, competitions and games. The event has previously had a history with shopping centres, but the move into the Lindley meant everything was under one roof, so visitors could wander around and see what’s on offer more easily.
Luke continues: “The team at RHH have been very helpful throughout the process and were constantly upbeat and willing to accommodate last minute requests as quickly as possible. Given that it is a beautiful building, it also helps that it is so accessible. There was an incredible amount of strong positive feedback from the event. This came from both the attendees and the external companies involved with the day we would definitely use the RHH again.”
Wicked Day joins the Macmillan Christmas Market, Sparks and the SouthWestFest, all of which have chosen the RHH as a venue for hosting their fundraising events. Maugie Lyons, sales and marketing director at the Halls, says: “The Lindley Hall was built over 100 years ago by the Royal Horticultural Society, one of the UK’s leading charities, so it is only fitting that it is still being used for charitable purposes today.”
For more information on the Royal Horticultural Halls & Conference Centre, please visit
www.horticultural-halls.co.uk
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Note to editors:
RHS Enterprises, trading as Royal Horticultural Halls & Conference Centre, is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Royal Horticultural Society. Profits from the business support the scientific and educational charitable work of the RHS, the UK’s leading gardening charity.
Leeann De Barros
Harmer PR
T. (0)20 7580 6334
F. (0)20 7323 4817
www.harmerpr.com
About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.