Step into action - get ready for Matilda's Mighty Movie
This December, you and your unit are invited to attend a special, Girlguiding-only screening of Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical at an ODEON cinema near you.
We know that for lots of you, this might be the first time you take your unit to an ODEON screening.
Before tickets for the screenings go on sale, we wanted to share a step-by-step guide of everything you need to do to get ready, so that you have lots of time to prepare.
1) Save the date in your diary!
The screenings will take place at ODEON cinemas across the UK on 10-11 December. Check with your volunteer team to see who would like to attend. Remember that the adult to child ratios that apply in your usual meeting place become mandatory when you’re doing activities away from your usual meeting place.
2) Check your numbers
Get an idea of how many girls would like to attend by getting in touch with parents and carers to share the date and ask for their permission.
You’ll be able to see the run-time on ODEON’s website closer to the time.
3) Sort out risk assessments, consent forms and a home contact system
Risk assessments are important for all events to make sure Girlguiding members are safe. You can read all the risk assessment guidance here. When completing your events and activities risk assessment please ensure the following questions have been considered:
- Do attendees and or parents and carers understand that, if unable to attend, you will not be able to refund the cost of the ticket?
- Have you planned how you will maintain your adult: young members ratio if someone is not able to attend last minute?
- Have you organised a suitable drop off / pick up point that will allow your group to remain separate from other units?
Your events and activities risk assessment does not need to be signed off by your local commissioner, but you need to make them aware that you are attending the event.
Remember to factor in other safety considerations to your risk assessment too! You will need to consider things like how girls are getting to the cinema, and any food allergies or intolerances. Remember that we have lots of guidance to help you complete risk assessments on our website, and you can contact your local commissioner if you need help.
You’ll also need to fill out consent forms for each young member going and make sure everyone’s contact details are up to date! The film is rated PG.
Lastly, don’t forget to set up a home contact system to support in case of an emergency.
4) Book the tickets!
Screenings will be held across the country, which means there will be lots of seats available; we will work with ODEON to book more screens if seats fill up. You can find all the information you need on how to book tickets on our event page. ODEON’S lovely customer service team will be on hand to help you book the seats you need.
You’ll also be able to book wheelchair-accessible seats and see which cinemas will be showing autism-friendly screenings. ODEON are organising these on request of Girlguiding members, so if you need an autism-friendly screening or audio descriptive headsets, please let our partnerships team know via [email protected] as soon as possible so we can arrange this for you.
ODEON will have plenty of snacks available for you to buy, in addition on the day you can get a discounted kids deal, which includes a can of water, kids' popcorn and sweets for £3.50. This will only be available on the day, so you don’t need to book in advance!
5) Go the whole hog
Matilda said ‘Never do anything by halves if you want to get away with it. Be outrageous. Go the whole hog. Make sure everything you do is so completely crazy it's unbelievable...’
Why not go the whole hog and get your unit excited for the screening with a Matilda themed unit meeting? Roald Dahl’s website has many resources including games and activities that could help inspire your themed evening.
6) One last check!
It’s a good idea to stick a reminder in your diary two weeks before the event to do one last check to make sure that you have everything you need. Check parent permissions and consent forms, whether your risk assessment is up to date and that your volunteer team all know the plan.
We will be updating our #MatildasMightyMovie event page regularly with guidance and answers to frequently asked questions. If you can’t find what you’re looking for, get in touch with our partnerships team by emailing [email protected], and they’ll be able to help you.
Once you’ve got the practical stuff sorted, all that’s left to do is to get ready to enjoy the magic! We can’t wait to see you there.