Actor Wilson calls for theatre support at Chamber dinner

6th July 2012

'Support the theatre community' that was the call from actor and director Richard Wilson OBE at the Sheffield Chamber's Annual President's Dinner.

Mr Wilson, who is an associate director at Sheffield Theatres, was the guest speaker at the dinner which celebrated Suzanne Liversidge's year as president of the 155-year-old business support organisation. More than 340 people attended the black-tie dinner at the Sheffield Cathedral, which coupled as a fundraising event for the Chamber's charity of the year Kickstart Community Programmes. Mr Wilson said: -There is a real buzz in the industry about what is happening in Sheffield. I love the Crucible, I love Sheffield and I love the people of the city. -We are more than keen to have assistance in the theatre community. People and businesses can help us with our outreach programmes, help us get into schools, but we need funding and need you to become part of the community. Mr Wilson, who was born in Greenock, was presented with a Quaich, an ancient Scottish drinking vessel which had been specifically made for him in Sheffield. Suzanne, a partner at international law firm Kennedys, added: -We were delighted Richard agreed to speak at the dinner and he proved to be a fantastic guest. He has a real passion for theatre and for Sheffield. -We wanted the evening to be a celebration of everything that is great about Sheffield. This city has achieved some great things and it will do so again in the future. More than £5,000 was raised for Kickstart on the night, adding to the £4,000 already raised for the charity during the last 12 months. Sheffield Young Carers was named the new Chamber Charity of the Year at the dinner. Guests were treated to a surprise performance from Be Vox, a flash mob choir, while the main course was fish, chips and mushy peas wrapped in a special edition of the Sheffield Star newspaper. Elevation Recruitment were headlines sponsors, while the dinner was also supported by Sytner BMW, Pinders and DoubleTree Hilton.