v Bafta award-winning actor and presenter James Corden told an audience of 600 in Manchester how the work of welfare charity the Fed resonated with him.
Addressing the Fed’s dinner at Lancashire Cricket Club, Corden said: “My mum and sister are both social workers, so I’m well aware of the struggles that they face and the funds that they need.” The dinner generated more than £1 million in pledges covering a two-year period.
The actor was interviewed by Radio 4 presenter Paddy O’Connell and the appeal was given a personal slant by Times journalist Abigail Radnor, whose father was diagnosed with dementia at 52 and has been cared for at the Fed’s Heathlands Village.
Fed CEO Karen Phillips said that “asking people to donate in the context of a recession can be tricky, but our patrons are determined to do their bit”.