Dorset film premiere of Victoria and Abdul raises £8,000 for local sight loss charity

An exclusive film premiere of Victoria and Abdul was held in aid of Dorset Blind Association and sponsored by Blue Sky Financial Planning. It welcomed a sell-out audience of over 300 people and raised a staggering £8,000.

The film, starring Dame Judi Dench, is directed by the charity’s patron and BAFTA award winner, Stephen Frears, who kindly supports the sight loss charity as his son and blind actor, Sam Frears, has benefited from the charity’s services for many years by attending their social clubs and activities. On the release of his last film in 2016, Florence Foster Jenkins, he gave Dorset Blind Association the opportunity to host their first Dorset Premiere in Bournemouth at The ABC Odeon.

Victoria and Abdul follows the unlikely friendship between Queen Victoria (Judi Dench) and her Indian servant Abdul Karim (Ali Fazal). As their friendship deepens, the queen begins to see a changing world through new eyes, joyfully reclaiming her humanity. The film also stars Eddie Izzard, Tim Pigott-Smith and Adeel Akhtar.

Helena Sinclair, events fundraiser from Dorset Blind Association said, “We are incredibly overwhelmed by the support we received at our Dorset Film Premiere of Victoria and Abdul. The funds raised for Dorset Blind Association are just phenomenal and will have such a huge impact to our services in the local community. The event would not have beeen possible without the support of our patron, Stephen Frears, our sponsor, Blue Sky Financial Planning and the fantastic team at The Regent Centre. Thank you to everyone for making the evening so successful.”

If you missed out on this fantastic exclusive event, Dorset Blind Association are hosting their 3rd Masquerade Ball on Saturday 28 October at The Hilton Hotel. Tickets are still available.