Christmas projection to light up Leeds hotel

An animated Christmas story is set to be projected onto a Leeds city centre hotel for a second year in a row.

The film, called To Leeds, With Love, sees the return of a gingerbread man who starred in last year's projection in City Square.

The show, beamed onto the frontage of the Queens Hotel, begins on Thursday evening and will run 187 times over the 11 days until 22 December.

The animation, funded by Leeds BID, was written by Yorkshire screenwriter Lisa Holdsworth and is narrated by The Hobbit and North & South actor Richard Armitage.

The projection is a collaboration between Leeds BID and the Barcelona-based creative studio Onionlab, and is a reimagining of The 12 Days of Christmas song, in which the gingerbread man goes on a Leeds-themed adventure.

Ms Holdsworth said: "At the heart of the festivities, the ever-cheerful gingerbread man takes on the delightful task of decorating the hotel's towering Christmas tree.

"A cast of festive special guests soon arrives to lend their help, each one as joyful as the next, and you may just recognise a few from a beloved Christmas carol."

Last year's projection was seen by more than 200,000 people in the run-up to Christmas, according to Leeds BID.

Andrew Cooper from the organisation, which was set up to improve Leeds city centre, said the eight-minute shows start at 16:30 GMT and are repeated every 15 minutes until 20:30 GMT.

He said: "It is our digital Christmas card, it really puts Leeds on the map.

"It's here to bring some magic, sparkle and fun to Leeds this Christmastime."

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