Legal firm Carpenters Group is to sponsor the Liverpool premiere of a new movie – Bolan’s Shoes – produced by Liverpool production company Buffalo Dragon. Tony McDonough reports

A new film set against the backdrop of the 1970s glam rock movement and the death of T-Rex’s Marc Bolan is to have its world premiere in Liverpool.

Merseyside Legal and insurance services specialist Carpenters Group will sponsor the premiere of Bolan’s Shoes. The film starring Timothy Spall and Leanne Best was produced by Liverpool independent film company Buffalo Dragon. It was directed by well-known TV actor Ian Puleston-Davies.

Bolan’s Shoes “captures the heady exhilaration of glam rock mania through the experiences of a group of over-excited kids from a local children’s home before a devastating road accident changes their lives for ever”.

Much like Marc Bolan’s own legacy, who died in a road accident in 1977, its glitter is dimmed by the tragic repercussions of a deadly road accident and the question of what might have been.

The story celebrates the “enduring legacy of childhood experiences and the deep bonds of sibling love”. 

On Monday, September 14, the film will premiere at FACT in Liverpool. The event will also be used to highlight the work of Sean’s Place, a Merseyside men’s mental health organisation. This was the catalyst for Carpenters’ sponsorship.

Carpenters director and co-owner Donna Scully said: “When we were approached about being headline sponsor for the premier of Bolan’s Shoes and found out they would be supporting ‘Sean’s Place’, it was a no-brainer for John (co-owner) and I.

“It ticks so many boxes for us with its huge connection to Liverpool, its support of the brilliant work Debbie (Rogers) and the team at Sean’s Place do to support mental health in Liverpool and supporting the arts which has taken a huge hit with the pandemic.

“We’ve worked with Sean’s Place since Debbie set it up during the pandemic so it’s wonderful to see them get the platform and support from this project.  We at Carpenters Group are very much looking forward to being involved.”

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Terri Dwyer, Buffalo Dragon co-owner and Bolan’s Shoes producer, added: “Sometimes you meet people and you just know straight away that you’re all on the same page in trying to achieve the same thing and do something really special.

“This was the feeling I got when I met Donna Scully and her team at Carpenters Group. We are all delighted to be working with them.”

With offices in Liverpool, Wirral, Leeds, Haywards Heath and Glasgow, Carpenters Group is a £52m-turnover business that employs more than 900 people. It provides legal services to insurance companies and brokers and handles personal injury claims. It published its