Hope4Apes at The Savoy brought the importance of education to the forefront of our task to save our rainforests & its residents, The Great Apes.

Surrounded by the rich green flora of a rain forest, the sounds of its fauna echoing around, guests dressed in black tie were immersed into a recreated home of our cousins, The Great Apes. At the end, a simple bike was attached to a projector. This simple bike introduces apes to their neighbours; many of whom live in villages without electricity and have never seen a moving picture before.

Pedal Powered Cinema Kit (Image courtesy of Pixcellence Photography)

Hope4Apes at The Savoy brought the importance of education to the forefront of our task to save our rainforests & its residents, The Great Apes. A carbon-neutral cinema, powered by 12 volunteer cyclists, showed how powerful film is in education & outreach. Because of film and people like hosts Sir David Attenborough and Ian Redmond, we know about the animals we share our planet with and can visit them in their natural habitats... if only through our screens.

Over 300 million people in 15 countries have seen a film screened using pedal-power

In Africa, it’s people like Denis Agaba, Chief Project Co-ordinator for the Great Apes Film Initiative (GAFI) in Uganda, who are using the power of film to educate locals about their forest neighbours and the importance of conservation. In collaboration with Electric Pedals, GAFI created the world’s first pedal-powered field cinema. To date over 300 million people in 15 countries have seen a film screened using pedal-power. The magic of the pedal-power cinema was brought to ten Cheshire schools as part of Hope4Apes’ UK pedal power school tour. Denis flew in from Uganda to lead the tour, which saw students & teachers pedalling to power a series of films.

In the age of the internet, it’s clips like Christian the Lion Cub that are opening hearts & minds to the perils faced by wild animals. In the 60s & 70s, it was the film Born Free starring Virginia McKenna and Bill Travers (who went on to found the Born Free organisation). Virginia attended Hope4Apes and introduced a special performance by Kerry Ellis & Brian May; the pair have been headlining the Born Free Tour to raise awareness of Born Free’s work. Their stunning performance, which included songs such as Born Free and a premiere performance of ‘Is This The World We Created,’ was a truly memorable experience.

Kerry Ellis and Brian May performed songs from their Born Free Tour (Image courtesy of Pixcellence Photography)

Film can only do so much though. There is something about a personal encounter, establishing a connection, and seeing it through your own eyes rather than a camera. For guests that met personal heroes in Sir David, Virginia, or Ian - that something is being inspired by palpable passion. Between courses, Ian took the microphone around the Lancaster Ballroom & guests asked Sir David questions ranging from his views on vegetarianism (biologically, we are designed to eat meat), zoos (do not dismiss them), to his favourite place (with his family). In every answer was the evidence of his passion for conservation, our remarkable planet and its species.

A Dream Becomes Reality

5 field projects. 6 pedal powered cinemas.
Thank You.

Auctioneer James Lewis
(Image courtesy of Pixcellence Photography)

Hope4Apes set out to raise funds to educate those in ape range states about the wildlife and forests around them. Thanks to the generosity of guests and brilliant auctioneer James Lewis, who remembers being a passionate naturalist & receiving a 2-page handwritten letter from Sir David years ago, over £44,000 was raised on the night. The biggest fundraiser was the VIP Gorilla Safari - an amazing opportunity for a personal encounter with Gorillas in their natural habitat with Ian- which raised £20,000. Funds raised on the night, as well as £12,000 in sponsorship, will fund 5 field projects chosen by the Hope4Apes organising committee as well as purchase 6 pedal powered cinemas for GAFI screening programmes in Sierra Leone, Nigeria, Cameroon, Uganda and Indonesia. Find out more about the education & outreach projects Hope4Apes supports on 4apes.com/hope.

The impact of time, commitment, care, consideration & funds was evident in the beautifully restored Savoy which hosted this remarkable night. Surely those same things can also restore our planet and wildlife? Visit 4apes.com/hope to find out how you can get involved.

Images & event photography courtesy of Pixcellence Photography. Images are available to purchase. Proceeds will go to the Hope4Apes fund.