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The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry visit Charities Forum event at BAFTA

26 October 2015
Event: Meeting of Charities ForumDate: Monday 26th OctoberVenue: 195 PiccadillyAttended by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and HRH Prince Harry.Hosted by BAFTA and AardmanBAFTA/Jonathan Birch

Aardman presents world premiere of Shaun the Sheep: The Farmer's Llamas half hour special on day of animation workshops, model building and craft activities 

London, 26 October 2015: The British Academy of Film and Television Arts and Aardman co-hosted an event earlier today for the young beneficiaries of the charities supported by Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry – the Charities Forum – at the home of BAFTA in London.

Their Royal Highnesses visited BAFTA 195 Piccadilly where Aardman hosted the world premiere of, Shaun the Sheep: The Farmer's Llamas, the first-ever Shaun the Sheep 30-minute TV special due to air on BBC One this festive season.

Other activity taking place today, which featured television presenter Ben Shires as master of ceremonies, included an 'Aardman Animate-it! Live' show, which displayed the principles of its animation technique to the audience. Their Royal Highnesses participated in a Shaun the Sheep-themed model-making workshop and craft activities with the children, while art therapists from a number of Forum organisations joined the workshops to network and share best practice. The day concluded with an informal meeting of executives from the charities of the Forum, of which BAFTA, owing to The Duke being its President, is a member.

Today’s activity also offered an insight into BAFTA and Aardman’s respective initiatives encouraging young people to explore the crafts behind award-winning programmes. ‘BAFTA Kids’ offers families an insight into creative excellence within film, television and games, and features behind-the-scenes roadshows, workshops and masterclasses, online challenges and competitions, and special hospice screenings.

It was the third event in a week for BAFTA that was attended by TRH The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, which The Duke supported in his capacity as BAFTA President. Last week, as part of the China State Visit to the UK, The Duke presented a gift to President Xi Jinping on behalf of the Academy, and The Duke and Duchess visited Dundee to meet the winners of Young Game Designers, BAFTA’s UK-wide game design competition for 10-18 year olds.


For further information:
Nick Williams at BAFTA
T 020 7292 5847
E [email protected]

Kerry Porter at Freuds
T 020 3003 6648
E [email protected]

Anna Lewis at Aardman
T 0117 307 1318
E [email protected]

About the Charities Forum
The Charities Forum is a collection of charities of which Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry are Patrons. The Forum aims to bring the individual charitable interests together and to explore how they could best lend their support to them all in an effective and efficient way. The group meets biannually, with organisations taking it in turns to host. The meetings not only provide an opportunity for the Charities to update Their Royal Highnesses on their recent activities and projects, but they also provide a platform for collaborative activity between the organisations. Opportunities to support each other are explored at meetings, relationships are developed and bilateral work is initiated, often between charities and organisations that would not ordinarily have been linked through the course of their own work. There are over 30 organisations involved in the Forum today. For more, visit www.dukeandduchessofcambridge.org/features-0/the-charities-forum.

About BAFTA
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts is an independent charity that supports, develops and promotes the art forms of the moving image by identifying and rewarding excellence, inspiring practitioners and benefiting the public. In addition to its Awards ceremonies, BAFTA has a year-round programme of learning events and initiatives – featuring workshops, masterclasses, scholarships, lectures and mentoring schemes – in the UK, USA and Asia; it offers unique access to the world’s most inspiring talent and connects with a global audience of all ages and backgrounds. BAFTA relies on income from membership subscriptions, individual donations, trusts, foundations and corporate partnerships to support its ongoing outreach work. To access the best creative minds in film, television and games production, visit www.bafta.org/guru. For more, visit www.bafta.org.

About Aardman
Aardman, based in Bristol (UK) co-founded and run by Peter Lord and David Sproxton, is a world leader in animation. It produces feature films, series, advertising and digital entertainment for both the domestic and international market. Their multi-award winning productions are novel, entertaining, brilliantly characterised and full of charm that reflects the unique talent, energy and personal commitment of the very special people who make up the Aardman team. The studio’s work is often imitated and yet the company continues to lead the field producing a rare brand of visually stunning and amusing independent and commercials productions. www.aardman.com  

About Shaun the Sheep: The Farmer’s Llamas
When the Farmer and Bitzer go to a Country Fair, Shaun steals away with them intent on causing mischief. Shaun spies an auction where he sees three exotic and very crafty Llamas going under the hammer. Instantly besotted by their fantastic pranks Shaun cleverly gets the unwitting Farmer to buy them. Back at Mossy Bottom Farm, Shaun is delighted with his prank and convinces the Flock that the Llamas are just what they need to spice up their lives. At first everything’s great fun, but soon their new Llama room-mates get a bit too comfortable in their new home. When things spiral out of control, Shaun is forced to take action to oust the intruders and save the farm

About BAFTA Kids
BAFTA Kids is a programme of events and initiatives for families across the UK run by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, offering insight into creative excellence within film, television and games. The programme features behind-the-scenes roadshows, workshops and masterclasses with BAFTA-winning talent, online challenges and competitions, and special hospice screenings. Whereas BAFTA’s annual British Academy Children’s Awards recognise and celebrate excellence within these industries, BAFTA Kids is a trusted and accessible brand for families to explore and discover new, innovative and non-mainstream work, helping them deepen their appreciation of the films, television programmes and games they enjoy. www.baftakids.org