Kilmarnock’s Odeon cinema will be hosting free screenings for local schoolchildren as part of National Schools Film Week.

The event will continue from Friday, October 30, to Friday, November 6, and include such recent favourites as Wall-E, Coraline, A Night at the Museum 2, Persepolis, Star Trek, Bolt and the Secret of Moonacre.

This is the 14^th running year in which National Schools Film Week has been held, and is now the world’s largest film festival for young people. A record number of children attended last year’s film week in over 500 cinemas across the country.

This year, the theme for the Film Week is ‘Creativity and Diversity’, and on feature will be current and forthcoming films designed to offer diverse viewpoints on challenging issues.

Oscar winning director Danny Boyle commented, “I’m very proud to be a patron of Film Education and National Schools Film Week. I think it’s important that people go to the cinema as soon as possible in their lives and keep going. We’ll have a much better film industry the more people go to the cinema. More people are now making films about their own country.”

Howard Centre on Portland Road is all set to be the scene for teenagers to dance and hang out together in on those lonely Saturday nights… with no alcohol involved, of course.

Chill NiteClub is all set to open on October 3^rd, and with its message that you don’t need alcohol to have a good time, is meant for 12 to 17 year olds. It is modeled much on the lines of a commercial nightclub- disco lighting, professional disc jockeys, state of the art sound system, a dance floor… the only thing missing will be the alcohol. Another difference from a standard nightclub would be its hours- it stays open only on Saturday nights, and that too from 7 till 9:30 pm.

The idea was the brainchild of the Church of Scotland. According to Jamie Milliken, associate minister of St Andrew’s and St Marnock’s Church, the Chill NiteCLub project was born amidst rising concerns of increasing alcohol usage among young people. The project is intended to help young people meet and interact in a completely non-alcoholic environment in order to show them that there are other, better ways to enjoy themselves in life.

Johnnie Walker Whisky and its Scotland home, is one steeped rich with a passionate legacy. The famous whisky was originally known as Walker’s Killme Whisky. Johnnie Walker, started selling his whisky in his grocery store in Ayrshire, Scotland. People began to buy the whisky and it became popular very quickly. However, the expansion and totality of the whisky’s popularity, should be handed to his son and grandson. Alexander Walker and Alexander Walker II, made the whisky what it is today. Read the full story