Mamma Mia brings out the fashions of Abba era in Ampthill

Mamma Mia at Parkside Hall, Ampthill - Liz Harris, from The Freemantle Trust, right, with Saiqa Nawaz.

Charity and care provider, The Fremantle Trust, teamed up with community cinema scheme, Zonita, and fellow charities, Macintyre and Leonard Cheshire, to host the fun event.

The fun-filled evening an audience of 160 people temporarily transported to the idyllic Greek setting via a cinema experience that involved full audience participation.

The Fremantle Trust’s head of learning disability services, Liz Harris, was among the audience of local people who donned their Abba costumes and ensured they were ‘on song’ to belt out the classics from the global cinema hit.

She said: “It was a phenomenal team effort and a truly enjoyable evening for everyone. The feedback has been tremendous from everyone involved. By working together with Zonita and other local charities, we were able to recreate an authentic cinema experience, which everyone was fully immersed in. It also gave us the freedom to sing and dance and really get into the spirit of the evening.”

Emma Hunter, from The Fremantle Trust’s Supported Living Service in Milton Keynes, said: “I had a great night as Mamma Mia is one of my favourite films. I would like to go to another night out like this. Maybe Grease would be another good choice.”

Andy Melville, lead from Zonita, added: “It was a brilliant evening, attracting the biggest audience we’ve had at the venue and it’s certainly something we would consider doing again. It was great that The Fremantle Trust were able to bring together charities for people

with learning disabilities in our local community for a really memorable experience.”

The Fremantle Trust is now working closely with Zonita and other charities to consider future screenings and a longer-term partnership.