Actor James Nesbitt ‘in awe’ of heroes at Marie Curie Hospice in Belfast
James Nesbitt has said he is "in awe" of the effort put in by staff at the the Marie Curie Hospice in Belfast.
The Ballymena-born actor described the facility as "the most wonderful, really peaceful place" after a visit this week.
Nesbitt said: "From the doctors and nurses on the ward to the chefs and maintenance staff, I'm in awe of what they do every day to help make sure this Christmas is as peaceful and as comfortable as possible for everyone."
He met with patients, families and staff of the end-of-life charity, and helped decorate their Christmas tree.
He said: "The compassion and care shown by the Marie Curie team really helps to spread that feeling of good cheer."
Muriel Rendall, 78, said it was "lovely" to meet Nesbitt, describing him as "so warm and friendly".
She is living with multiple myeloma, a type of blood cancer, and said they had a "great chat about sport, television, and all sorts".
The pair did some knitting together and Ms Rendall welcomed him back for personal lessons "any time!"
Marie Curie cares for people with any illness they are likely to die from including Alzheimer’s (and other forms of dementia), heart, liver, kidney and lung disease, motor neurone disease, Parkinson’s, and advanced cancer.
The charity is dependent on public donations so that its nurses and healthcare assistants can provide expert end of life care to people at home, in its hospices, and through its free Support Line (0800 090 2309).
Before he left, Nesbitt took the opportunity to encourage people to give generously, saying: "If you're out and about over Christmas and you see any buckets, go and give what you can, because what they do here is really life-affirming."
Paula Heneghan, associate director of services at Marie Curie NI, said: “Marie Curie believes that everyone should have expert care and support at the end of life, whatever their illness, wherever they are.
"We rely on the generosity of our supporters to help make sure that we can continue to deliver this throughout the festive period and beyond.
“We’re so grateful to James for visiting us today, and for helping to bring a touch of sparkle in the run up to our Christmas celebrations at the hospice this year.”