Fan Aid (Doctor Who convention)
| Convention | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Fan Aid |
| Dates: | June 29, 1985 & November 2, 1985 |
| Frequency: | twice |
| Location: | Bath & Leeds, UK |
| Type: | fundraiser |
| Focus: | Doctor Who |
| Organization: | |
| Founder: | Paul Cornell |
| Founding Date: | 1985 |
| URL: | |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Organized as part of a fundraising effort to support famine relief in Ethiopia (Live Aid), Fan Aid was held twice over the course of 1985: on June 29 in Bath and on November 2 in Leeds.[1] Paul Cornell launched the campaign, which also included the anthology zines of the same name.
Cornell was a Doctor Who fan writer who would ultimately write for the authorized Virgin New Adventures series of Doctor Who novelizations, as well as other Doctor Who novels following the adventures of companion Bernice Summerfield.[2]
In his book Love and Monsters: The Doctor Who Experience, 1979 to the Present, Miles Booy describes Cornell's creation of the Fan Aid campaign:
"In the mid-80s [Cornell] devised and spearheaded Fan-Aid, a series of publications and events in aid of African famine relief, which set the pattern for fan charity events ever since. The Fan-Aid convention was the first not to show videos of old episodes as a point of principle - atomized viewers sitting in the dark watching television simply wasn't Paul's idea of what fandom was about."[3]
A registration form for the November 2 convention described the event in further detail:[4]
The FAN-AID fund-raising has moved north, in an attempt to break that area's starvation of conventions and to break the starvation of those people out in Ethiopia and other drought-stricken areas. This 'Doctor Who'/British Tele-fantasy event will raise over £500 - up to £1,000 with your help - to assist the general money-raising. The convention will be held in the Griffin Hotel, practically alongside the City Station, and near all the major road routes into Leeds. The day will start at about 10.00 a.m. (registration begins at 8.30 a.m.) and the frivolity will continue until 5.30 p.m. . A number of personalities have already confirmed their presence, including Louise Jameson, Dennis Spooner and most members of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop, and we hope Brian Clemens, Graeme Harper, Philip Martin, several ex-'Doctor Who Magazine' artists and many, many more will also be there. There will also be a spacious dealers room (fanzine editors wishing to book a table should send a note to that effect with their registration), a day-long video presentation, a disingenuous quiz and an auction. The cost is £5 (including conbook, map, badge, progress report). When sending to the address below, please enclose an SAF and make all cheques payable to FAN-AID NORTH; there will be a limited admission on the day. We look forward to seeing you, and having a great time: we intend for there to be plenty of time for socialising with your peers and the guests; and remember, you're helping to save a life as well as having a good time, which is surely a superb attitude to have when going to a con! See you there!"- Fan Aid Northern Convention registration form
References
- ^ "Ethiopia," BroaDWcast. Last modified on February 3, 2017. Retrieved on March 17, 2018.
- ^ "Paul Cornell," Wikipedia. Last edited on March 15, 2018. Retrieved on March 17, 2018.
- ^ Booy, Miles. Love and Monsters: The Doctor Who Experience, 1979 to the Present (2012), p. 148.
- ^ Fan Aid Northern Convention registration form,
