Ceri Dupree Costume Exhibition celebrates 40 years in showbusiness and supports one of Wales’ oldest Charities

17 April 2024

Ceri Dupree Costume Exhibition in support of Sight Life – JustGiving

Wales’ top female impersonator Ceri Dupree will be holding an exhibition of his amazing stage costumes in Cardiff this summer.

 

Ceri Dupree has been delighting audiences worldwide for almost 40 years. His unique talents have led him through musical theatre, pantomime, summer seasons, television and cabaret. There isn’t an audience (age or type!!!) that he hasn’t played to.

The exhibition will take place at Unit 20cw in the St David’s shopping Centre between 31st July to 25th August 2024.

On display will be some of the most fabulous costumes worn by Ceri over the last 40 years.

This will include the Danny LaRue costume that recently featured in the BBC’s “Repair Shop”.

Ceri is the Patron of sight loss charity Sight Life. All entry fees will be donated to help Sight Life outreach to the growing number of people with sight loss in South Wales.

Formerly known as Cardiff Institute for the Blind, Sight Life is one of Wales’ oldest charities having been established in 1865.

Ceri said:

“I have been wanting to do this exhibition for years and now thanks to the support of the team at St David’s Centre, our sponsors and Sight Life it’s actually happening this summer.

Staff and volunteers from Sight Life will be present during the exhibition to provide the back stories to the costumes, plans for the future and to tell you more about Sight Life and their brilliant work.

Sight Life is a fantastic charity and I have seen firsthand the miraculous work and extremely positive impact they have on the lives of people with sight loss. They help blind and partially sighted people to live active and independent lives. I am delighted to be their Patron and to help them to generate much-needed support to further their amazing work.”

Richard Harvey CEO of Sight Life said

“Sight Life offers practical support and advice to anyone with limited sight in South Wales. We outreach to approximately 4,000 people a year and estimate that we also cater for an additional 2 to 3 people per person as a family friend or carer.

One in five of us will experience sight loss at some point in our lives. Research shows that we fear losing our sight more than any other disability. Sight Life works to remove that fear and help people regain confidence, independence and be active in the community.

We are extremely proud to have Ceri as our Patron and look forward to the exhibition which will help increase awareness of our services and the wider issues in relation to sight loss.”

 

Entry to the exhibition commences on 31st July 2024, with a suggested donation of £3 per person to support the charity.

25 costumes will be on display and there will be a chance to win a prize as part of the entry.

Staff and volunteers from Sight Life will be on hand to talk about their work, support for people with sight loss, volunteering opportunities and exciting fundraising events and opportunities.

 

Sight Life is grateful to Ceri Dupree, the management of St David’s Centre and our event sponsors for helping make this exhibition take place.

 

If you can’t make it you can still support the event with a donation on our JustGiving Page: Ceri Dupree Costume Exhibition in support of Sight Life – JustGiving

 

Notes:

The Event:

Opening Event:

Invited guests / Press and Media – Tuesday 30th July 6 – 8PM.

Press and Media contacts are welcome. Please contact [email protected] to register your attendance.

 

Public Access: Event opens to public Wednesday 31st July

Entry to the exhibition commences on 31st July 2024, with a suggested donation of £3 per person to support the charity.

Ends Sunday 25th August 2024.

 

Event Sponsors:

 

Ceri Dupree: https://www.ceridupree.org/

  • Ceri has performed at various major venues throughout England, Ireland, Scotland and his birthplace Wales including numerous appearances at top class hotels like The Savoy, The Dorchester, The Churchill, The Landmark and Claridges.
  • International work has included appearances in Greece, France, Holland, Spain, Germany South Africa and the Seychelles.
  • Ceri has appeared in many West End nightclubs including The Café de Paris, Talk of London, The Stork Club, Le Beat Route, Ronnie Scott’s and Pizza on the Park, He appeared twice nightly, six nights a week (and never missed a show!) for two years at the world-famous Madame Jo Jo’s in London’s West End, followed by three years at Minsky’s music hall in Cardiff. His extensive repertoire of theatre shows include Hello Dolly, Rock Hard (60’s Tribute show), Hot Stuff, a 70’s tribute show (5 seasons and 2 national tours), The Ultimate Hen Party (season and national tour),The Wizard of Oz (as the most glamorous wicked witch!) and The Rocky Horror Show (as Frank-n-Furter of course!!!).

 

About Sight Life

https://sightlife.wales/

Tel 02920 398900

Email [email protected]

  • Sight Life (formerly Cardiff Institute for the Blind) supports people who are blind or partially sighted in south Wales. In 2023 we helped more than 3,750 people in Cardiff, Swansea, RCT (Rhondda Cynon Taf), Neath and Port Talbot.
  • We provide statutory services to people with sight loss on behalf of the local Councils in Cardiff and Swansea.
  • In cooperation with the NHS, we provide a support service (ECLO: Eye Clinic Liaison Officer) for patients newly diagnosed with sight loss in University Hospital of Wales (UHW “The Heath”) in Cardiff.
  • Our aims are to ensure that people with sight loss can take part in all aspects of society, including work and leisure.
  • We offer a range of training, clubs and activities including audio-described theatre trips, confidence building, cooking, drama, employment support, fitness, gardening, IT, music, photography, rambling and yoga to people with sight loss.
  • Established in 1865, we are one of Wales’ oldest charities.
  • We have approximately a dozen staff and annual income in the region of £500,000 from statutory contracts, grants, trusts, The National Lottery, donations and legacies.
  • Sight Life changed its name from Cardiff Institute for the Blind in 2019 to reflect the fact that we work beyond Cardiff, including Swansea and RCT (Rhondda Cynon Taf). The name change also recognises the fact that we support people with any degree of sight loss, not only those who are blind.
  • Sight Life holds the Investors in Volunteering standard, our work is supported by over 100 volunteers, many of whom have sight loss themselves.

Ceri Dupree Costume Exhibition in support of Sight Life – JustGiving

How your donation can help Sight Life:

£ 10 – could help someone attend a virtual peer support group with others with a similar sight condition.

£ 20 – could help someone select the right assistive device to empower them to live independently.

£ 50 – could provide tailored technology support to help someone with sight loss stay connected.

£ 100 – could provide a home visit to someone newly diagnosed with sight loss.

Sight Life offers practical support and advice to anyone with limited sight in South Wales.

Sight Life’s invaluable team support blind and partially sighted people locally to improve their physical and emotional wellbeing, get (or stay) online and feel a valued part of the community. Reducing isolation is a core part of Sight Life’s work, especially for those learning to live with sight loss in later life.

Sight Life runs a range of activities from tailored home-visits to peer-support groups, workshops and courses which help with essential daily living skills. Hear from some of the members that are supported by Sight Life…

“I am proud to be part of Sight Life and I cannot speak highly enough of them. I can’t put into words how grateful I am for the support they give. They go above and beyond. It is more than just a job for them. They give us great support and now it is our time to support them however we can.” – Sue, Sight Life member. “Without the Sight Life groups I would be sat at home alone and sad. It is a lifeline for so many. It’s more than a place to go and meet other people with sight loss. It’s about the support they give you to live a life, not just when you are there, but when you are not there.”

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