This article is from page 3 of the 2011-12-06 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 3 JPG
A CHRISTMAS video that sees the people of Ennis come to the rescue of Santa Claus has become an internet hit with almost 10,000 views so far.
Ennis Town – Share the Feeling sees Santa Claus turn to Ennis ‘The friendliest town in Ireland’ to help him after all of his elves fall sick on Christmas Eve.
Directed by local man Gavin Gallagher, the 2min 54sec video was shot in locations around the town and features a number of well-known politicians and businesspeople. To watch the video simply log onto Youtube and type in ‘Ennis Share the Feeling’.
The video is the brainchild of the Ennis Development Forum and Ennis Chamber and is part of a Christmas Shop Local campaign, which has been entered for RTE’s The Business Show competition.
9,375 people have so far watched the video on the video sharing website Vimeo with a further 1,000 people viewing on You Tube.
The video was shot on the streets of Ennis during last Tuesday and Wednesday night. A cast of hundreds joined the production and despite the weather, all persevered with patience as the various scenes were shot, all over the town. A viewing of the impressive short film reveals plenty of ‘extras’ who took part in the shoot and even the local gardaí joined in, closing off Abbey and O’Connell streets to allowing filming take place.
“It was a wonderful idea and a positive event for all the people involved,” commented Gearoid Mannion of Tom Mannion Travel, who donned his own ‘Christmas jumper’ for the video. “Anything that generates goodwill and business for the town right now must be supported, this shows just what we can achieve when we pull together. The Youtube clip is fantastic and I’d urge everyone in Clare to watch it,” he added.
Businesses have donated over € 8,000 to the project including thousands of euros worth of giveaways to customers. The prizes will be distributed through another part of the initiative – the Ennis Street Radio which will play Christmas and upbeat music on the streets of Ennis for a full week before Christmas. The project is also part funded by Ennis Town Council in a partnership with the businesses.
The video’s release coincides with Ennis Town Council’s to suspend parking charges during Christmas.
Free parking will be applicable to the town’s 759 off-street and 783 on- street public car parking spaces up to 12pm daily from this Saturday, December 3, 2011, to January 7, 2012, inclusive.
Ennis Chamber of Commerce president John Dillane said the free parking initiative represents a proactive coming together of the town council and the local business community.
He explained, “The key focus of the parking scheme is on promoting what the customer wants as opposed to what serves Ennis Town Council and the traders best. Providing a high quality and value for money shopping experience is central to the initiative. It should also be noted that every euro spent locally remains in the community and helps to sustain existing and create new employment within the retail sector and elsewhere.”
Ennis town manager Ger Dollard noted that the provision of free parking, in conjunction with the annual street pedestrianisation initiative, is designed to accommodate visitors to Ennis, increase footfall on the streets of the town and boost consumer spending.
“Ennis Town Council is appealing to those working in Ennis to ensure, where possible, that public car parking spaces in the core town centre area are left vacant for shoppers,” stated Mr Dollard.