Secret Santa

In association with Theatre in the Mill: Hope and Social’s Secret Santa.

“What’s the one gift that you’d love to give? Who’s that special person who deserves something magical?”

For Christmas 2019 , Hope and Social asked their fans to help them to bring people’s Christmas wishes to life. Fans were asked to nominate a person, the gift they’d like them to receive… and to give the best reasons they could think of why Hope and Social should set about making it happen.

Wish fulfilment took place in the run-up to a Christmas show where H&S would showcase the weeks gift-giving.

Weekday fulfilled wishes include:
– Made and gifted bespoke Hope and Social Tee Shirt
– Gifted a trademark Hope and Social blue jacket to a long time fan
– Modified a Billy The Bass Fish to sing and dance to the Hope and Social Christmas song “What A Year“. Auctioned it, and raised £500 for charity.
– Got international music stars, family and friends to make a “Thank You” video for a stalwart music supporter and champion
– A surprise house gig
– A surprise pub gig… and Santa actually turned up!
– A poet had always dreamed of hearing his work to music, as requested by the poet’s daughter, we turned his poem into a song
– Built and programmed a Music Box playing H&S songs
– Gig and workshops for 3 schools (Hear BBC Radio’s Johnny Ianson’s feature on this here… and here)

– A couple of shows at Bradford Royal Infirmary – at the children’s ward, and in the foyer
– Programmed a door bell to play a recording of a bespoke song, “Who’s At The Door“, recorded by Hope and Social and a pop-up choir
– Recorded exclusive acoustic version of a new Hope and Social song with pop-up choir as a gift for a fan’s friend
– Amended a “past girlfriend’s initials” tattoo into a Hope and Social logo

Saturday Show-based fulfilled wishes include:
– Swim with Hope and Social (Don’t ask)
– Projected local artist “Burley Banksy“‘s work on the entrance to the venue
– Through the magic of live green-screening, inserted two fans in their favourite films: Die Hard, and Back To The Future.
– Three gig goers got to play Taskmaster and Pointless.
– Gave away a Ukulele
– A signed photo in a snowglobe

Very little documentary evidence of all of this exists… and it’s probably for the best.