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October 11 sees the return of our biggest and most popular fundraiser, the BSPCA Fashion Show, after an absence of three years.

It will be designed, choreographed and produced as usual, using outfits from our very own Thrift Shop, by the multi-talented Stephen Herschel who always goes ‘head over heels’ for the BSPCA and will, no doubt, do so again this time.

These events are never ‘just a Fashion Show’, but a night full of fun and frolic, and this one promises to be the same.

The show will also feature the pupils of Victoria’s School of Dance, the gifted soloist Anna Thompson-Hall, the El Yown Dancers, talented musicians David and Sachi and, of course, Stephen’s wonderful team of models and back stage hands, all gladly volunteering their time and talent for their pet charity.

This year’s theme will be ‘The BSPCA Academy Awards’ and, in keeping with this glitzy red carpet occasion, the dress code for the event will be ‘dress to impress’ as the venue is the fabulously-renovated Al Fanar rooftop restaurant at the Diplomat Radisson Blu Hotel. A lavish buffet, including beverages, will be served before ‘your night at the Oscars’ begins.

We have a stunningly beautiful, but smaller venue, with less seating than in previous years, which means there are only 200 places available. As ever, this will be an evening not to be missed, so put the date in your diary now as every year tickets sell out fast leaving many people disappointed. This year is sure to be no exception.

We are sure Stephen will ensure this prestigious evening is one to remember and we have some wonderful raffle prizes on offer, such as a night in a luxury room for two people at the Sofitel Hotel, beautiful designer watches donated by Fakhrawi Stores, an air ticket to Dubai, a four-ball, 18-hole golf voucher from the Royal Golf Club at Riffa, a dragster racing experience from the BIC plus lots, lots more! You will even have the chance to bid for a framed polo shirt signed by the winning Bahrain Formula One Red Bull team – Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber.

As you all know, 2012 has been a year of great celebration for the BSPCA, which is now in its 33rd year of existence.

After more than 10 years of concentrated fundraising for a new animal shelter, we are finally moving down to our purpose-built Animal Welfare Centre at Askar and September sees us embark on the nationwide humane programme to deal with the stray dog population of Bahrain.

All monies raised from the Fashion Show will go towards funding a second team of personnel out on the road to carry out the trapping operation to help ensure a speedy success.

The show will celebrate these achievements and, by purchasing a ticket, you will not only enjoy a wonderful evening but also help the Society to solve Bahrain’s major animal problem in a humane and caring manner.  What could be better, a great night out and an even greater cause benefitting from your support of it. For every table of 12 tickets sold, the BSPCA will be able to afford to neuter 72 dogs.

Tickets costing BD28 for members and BD30 for non-members (including refreshments) go on sale from September 1 and will be available from the Thrift Shop (tel: 17593479). Book your place early to ensure a great night of fun in the most luxurious and special surroundings. We have limited the sale of tickets to only 200 places and so there will be no ‘squeezing you in’ this year! You need to act quickly to join us on the red carpet and avoid disappointment.

Joyce Hughes, Fundraising Co-ordinator, BSPCA.

I must say I love reading the FilmWeekly section in each edition of GulfWeekly. However, I was more than a little surprised to hear May Al Mousawi singing the praises of the latest Batman offering. In my humble opinion, she was so far off the mark with her verdict that I’m not even sure if she watched the same film I did.

Every critic is entitled to an opinion and every movie is allowed to have flaws, but this one abused the privilege.

Firstly, the action and any semblance of a plot took 40 minutes too long to start and I was bored out of my brain. When the ball eventually got rolling I was thoroughly disappointed with Anne Hathaway’s portrayal of Catwoman, she was perhaps the most disposable and pointless character in a movie since the guy credited as ‘fat man number 3’ in Home Alone.

Furthermore, Tom Hardy’s portrayal of Bane left a lot to be desired ... the most desirable thing being subtitles because I could barely understand any of his muffled, poorly enunciated dialogue.

Last, but not least, in my opinion, the ending was a total travesty not only against the iconic franchise, but against every film ever made. Shame on Chris Noland for backtracking and taking the easy way out and shame on May for enjoying it! I hope she redeems herself with the next review.

Disgruntled Batboy,
by email.