This is what can happen when a father meets Father Christmas. Andrew Moore and  his 11-year-old daughter Annabelle were among the capacity crowd at Stanbridge Hall for a fundraiser for Daylesford’s new cinema when they headed for Santa’s knee.  

The result can be seen. And a great round of applause erupted when it was announced that  the Cinema Group plans the reopening between Easter and mid-2025.  

A further round of fundraising will start in the New Year, including two gala dinners. And the pleasing flow of money from events such as this reinforced a point made by a character in the film shown at the fundraiser, Miracle on 34th Street:

“Faith is believing things even though common sense tells you not to.”  

The 1974 remake of the 1947 classic poses the timeless question: “Is Santa real? Macy’s department store employs one Kris Kringle, who is threatened with jail or being locked away because he believes he is Santa.  

When it goes to court, a judge’s difficulty in whether he can rule on the case is decided when six-year-old Susan hands him a piece of paper bearing a line from the American Constitution: “In God We Trust.”

As for Kris Kringle, he says, “Oh, Christmas isn’t just a day, it’s a frame of mind, and that’s what’s been changing. That’s why I’m glad I’m here, maybe I can do something about it.”  

Cinema  

Thank you to members of this wonderful community for your enthusiastic response to the news that cinema is returning to Daylesford, upstairs in the iconic Rex building.  

The response on both Facebook and the Daylesford Community Grapevine  was huge with so many heartwarming messages and lots of offers of help to make it happen.

Thank you one and all. We are in the process of following up the many offers and channelling them in various directions according to interests and skills.

More offers are always welcome as there are many tasks to complete.  It is now time to call on all cinema lovers to dig deep and contribute financially.  

We have just launched our GoFundMe campaign and are very much hoping that  you will be keen to support us financially.

All contributions big or small are most  welcome. Simply go to: https://gofund.me/73e585b0 and follow the prompts.  

Your financial assistance will enable us to get underway with creating an art deco  interior to be proud of, a welcoming entrance with attractive lighting, carpeting, comfortable seats, state-of-the-art cinema equipment, well-equipped café/bar and  ticketing area as well as assisting us through the establishment phase.  

We envisage our community-run cinema being a wonderful space for locals to congregate and socialise as well as providing much-needed nighttime, weekend and  holiday activity for tourists to enjoy.

Involvement in all aspects of both creating and  operating the cinema, bar and café will provide great opportunities for people of all ages to socialise, learn new skills and engage in meaningful activity whilst making an  important contribution to this community.  

As well as providing a variety of film genres, the cinema will host locally made movies/documentaries, musical events, stand-up comedy and small theatrical  productions.

As the town hall will be closed for approximately two years, we see possibilities for the cinema to meet a variety of community needs in addition to its  core business.  

For those who have queries about fundraising and the GoFundMe campaign  contact Jenny Beacham, Daylesford Cinema Group Treasurer, on 0427 512 159.  

For more information contact me, Jules McDonald, on 0400 455 993 or email  julesmcd11k gmail.com

From – Jules McDonald, Daylesford Cinema Group president