Film raising funds for the NHS featuring Hobbit stars, royalty & Eddie the Eagle premieres in Lytham St Annes

‘The Adventures Of Sleepy The Magical Bear The Movie’ is an 80 minute long feature film, based on books by author D.M. Rivers, which should have cost millions to make but has been made purely out of goodwill in order to raise money for the NHS.

Explaining how it came about, D.M. aka David, who also produced and directed the film, said: “It was March 2020, I was out walking my little dog and I just thought it would be good to raise some money for the NHS through my books so I put a post out on a casting site and it took off from there really. People kept applying – cast and crew – and we had enough people to give it a go, but because we were in lockdown, all the filming was done on mobile phones in people’s homes so that was pretty tricky because we were relying on the actors to put up the green screen and film in isolation.”

In total a cast and crew of 750 volunteers have all come together to create the film, with all money raised going to NHS Charities Together via a JustGiving page, which is to be set up soon.

The film will premiere at the Glendower Hotel in St Annes – who are also offering their facilites for free – on Nov 26 at 6.30pm, with up to 40 cast and members of the NHS in attendance.

David, who has family in St Annes, added: “I’m excited about the premiere, really pleased it’s at the Glendower Hotel in St Annes, it’s a lovely hotel.”

The Adventures Of Sleepy The Magical Bear will then air on Youtube at 7pm on Christmas Eve with people being able to donate from 10am that day.

Who is in the cast?

Newcomers Keith Hahn and Larnaca Simmonds play the main characters of Sleepy (voice role) and Jenny respectively, whilst various members of the Hobbit cast also play voice parts: Richard Armitage is Monto The Rhino, former Doctor Who Sylvester McCoy is Knibbles The Beaver, Jed Brophy is Tweaky the Mouse, Ryan Gage is Hopto the Frog, Mark Hadlow is Donto the Rhino and John Callen is Fireto the Rhino.

Iconic ski jumper Eddie The Eagle is the voice of Pyto The Eagle, legendary keyboardist/composer Rick Wakeman C.B.E. is the voice of Mootoo The Cheetah, and 56th in line to the British throne Lady Gabriella Kingston (also known as Ella Windsor) is the voice of Brambles The Badger.

Other famous actors in voice roles include Dad’s Army and Eastenders star Ian Lavender as Chipples The Beaver, Narnia’s Anna Popplewell as a mole, soap star Ian Kelsey as Snorkel The Elephant, and former Doctor Who companion Sophie Aldred as Squeaky the mouse.

The rest of the cast features Karen Cooper as Aunt Hilda, Ian Macnaughton as Professor Pear, Jay Simon as a variety of characters, and Coronation Street’s Graeme Hawley, Becky Hindley and David Crellin as voice over beavers.

What is it about?

‘The Adventures Of Sleepy The Magical Bear’ starts with a visit to a toyshop on a Saturday Morning at Easter where Jenny Onion comes across a bear with many magical powers who she calls Sleepy.

The film follows Jenny and Sleepy as they bond, with Sleepy showing his magical powers to the young girl, before turning into a race against time for Sleepy and Jenny to rescue Sleepy's friends Cuff Cuff and Sunshine from the treacherous Pirate Penguin who is holding them in his dungeons on board his ship the Slippery Snake.

What dos the NHS say?

Ellie Orton OBE, Chief Executive of NHS Charities Together, said: “We are privileged to be linked to such a special feature film, produced during some of the hardest months of lockdown to create something truly magical.

“Thanks to the public’s generosity, we funded thousands of projects to support those at the frontline of the coronavirus crisis through our Covid-19 Urgent Appeal. With viewers’ help, we can continue to provide vital services and support for NHS staff, patients and volunteers across the UK.”

D.M. Rivers will be giving the ebook of the The Adventures Of Sleepy The Magical Bear FREE to anyone, by visiting www.sleepymagic.co.uk for the free download.