Celebrity-Packed Corsham Sci-Fi Day Raises Money For Charity

The Corsham Sci-Fi (Family Funday) was held last Saturday at the Corsham Community Centre in aid of charity. Celebrity guests, chats with Daleks and more convincing costumes than you can shake a lightsaber at, were just a few small treats of the day.

“Thanks to the centre for the venue,” said Matt Booker, owner of Automattic Comics and one of the event’s organisers, “And also to the Rudloe Park Hotel for donating the rooms for the celebrities.” By midday he estimated up to 750 people had come through the community centre’s doors and more kept on coming.  

The funds which were raised at the event will be donated to the charities The British Heart Foundation, 16-30 PHAB and Marie Curie Cancer Care. 

Local children’s author David Johnson, writer of the Crystal Quest series, said: “I think there’s more people here than last year. It has been more successful and hopefully has raised money for charity.” 

One visitor to the event was Matt Holden, a dead ringer for the Tenth Doctor Who. “It’s good fun,” said the very convincing David Tennant lookalike, “It’s been a really good day.” Posing by a Tardis in full costume, it takes a second look to be reassured that it’s not actually the legendary actor leaning against the familiar blue Policeman’s Box. 

Flocks of people gathered around one celebrity, Danny John-Jules, who has starred in Red Dwarf, MI High and the Labyrinth to name but a few. 

Another star present was Mike Edmonds, an actor who has played an Ewok in Star Wars, a mirror-maker librarian in the popular mini-series 10th Kingdom, a Gringotts Goblin in Harry Potter and so much more. “It’s been good fun,” said Mr Edmonds, “We filmed Maid Marian and Her Merry Men round here, it’s a lovely part of the country.”

Aliens, Stormtroopers, pirates and chats with Daleks: there was fun for all ages. Don’t worry if you missed it, for the Corsham Sci-Fi (Family Funday) will be returning in 2012. That’s plenty of time to get your costume sorted. 

As one Jack Sparrow (or at least, it did look an awfully lot like him) said during the day: “Daleks and Pirates: it doesn’t get much better than this.” Too true, Captain.