Actresses Cath Tyldesley and Sue Cleaver joined over 230 ladies at The Lowry Hotel, Salford yesterday for ‘Off the Cobbles’, a charity lunch raising money for Variety, the Children’s Charity.
Organised by ‘Variety Vixens’ Fiona Parkinson, Jo Booth, and Paula Castle, the lunch saw the two actresses share stories about life on and ‘off the cobbles’ of Coronation Street in an interview with Liz Taylor of Liz Taylor Consultancy. The event has raised over £11,595 for the charity so far.
In a touching story, Sue shared what life was like in the ‘I’m a Celeb’ jungle: “You do forget the cameras that there are there.”
She then revealed how she found her birth mother: “When I was at drama school in Manchester, the Royal Exchange were doing Oedipus with David Threlfall, and they wanted a couple of soldiers for some small parts. So, they chose me and Steve Coogan, who was in my year at drama school. So, we go in and we walk in and there is an actor there called Michael Harper. He says to David Threlfall. Oh my Lord, she’s the spit of my wife when she was that age. And, to cut a long story short, his wife was my mother.
“I then found out I had two half-sisters who are in the business. And when I met my mum Lesley, she introduced me to a friend who lived with them for a while. A lady called Helen, who was the only person who knew she had a child adopted, and that Helen was Helen Worth, Gail in Corrie.”
“What a wonderful day we’ve had, and I am thrilled that we have been able to raise so much money. We have been supporting Variety, the Children’s Charity for a number of years with an annual event. I am continually in awe of their amazing work for children across the region. Thank you to all the ladies who attended, to Elle Sera as the sponsor guest’s gift bags, The Lowry Hotel, Liz Taylor, and Cath and Sue.” said one of the event organisers, Jo Booth.
Cath Tyldesley added: “When I was asked to support the event by Liz Taylor, I jumped at the chance. As a mother myself, I see how important the work of this charity is and what a difference it makes in young people’s lives. The audience was brilliant. I was delighted to join ladies so committed to supporting Variety, the Children’s Charity.”
Lyn Staunton, Variety, the Children’s Charity development director for the northwest echoed the feelings of everyone at the event: “It’s been a wonderful afternoon. The money raised will be used to enrich and support the lives of young people across the northwest. It really does make a huge difference to our work. Thank you to everyone involved, and as always to the Variety Vixens for making this event happen.”