Birmingham Hospice is delighted to announce Harry Potter and Game of Thrones actor David Bradley as its Patron.
David, who played Hogwarts caretaker Argus Filch, accepted the Patronage after a visit to the hospice’s Selly Park site where he met patients and families, along with staff and volunteers.
The actor had a tour of the Inpatient Unit and the Living Well Centre, a bright friendly space designed to help people live well with life-limiting illnesses.
Birmingham Hospice.
He also spoke with members of the Children’s Healing and Therapeutic Support (CHATS) team to find out how they support younger family members when loved ones pass away.
Accepting the patronage, David who has a long career on stage and screen said: “I’m very honoured. This is a quite brilliant, huge organisation, Birmingham, the second city’s hospice and to be invited to take part is wonderful.
“I met some wonderful, dedicated people and it has been a salutary experience. I have to say I’ve never had such a positive reaction to just being here. I’ve been all around the place and been shown round by a few of the patients as well as the wonderful staff. It’s been a great day.
“What’s impressed me most is that the hospice looks after 685 people a day in the hospice or at home.
“I think if people knew more about these places how they are run and how dedicated staff are, people would become aware enough to realise we can all help.”
Paul Bytheway, CEO of Birmingham Hospice, said: “We’re incredibly proud to welcome David as a Patron. As we are only partially funded by the government, we need to raise £8 million pounds this year to keep running.
“Having someone with such a high public profile supporting our work gives us a great opportunity to showcase to more people what we do, which we hope in turn will help us raise vital funds.
“The buzz David created when he visited Birmingham Hospice was amazing.
Our teams were genuinely excited. People were talking about it, smiling about it and telling other people about it afterwards.
“What struck me most was the reaction from our patients and their families.
Many of our patients are going through a very difficult time.
“Then suddenly, someone they have watched on television or in films for years is there, having a chat with them, having a laugh and taking an interest in them. It gave everyone a real lift.
“We look forward to working with David on future events and welcoming him back to our hospice soon.”
