Empire's celebrity coffee morning
The late actress and singer Bernie Nolan was a bit ace, by all accounts. And the Empire has set up a fitting tribute to the lady, by taking part in the upcoming annual Macmillan's World's Biggest Coffee Morning fundraising event and dedicating it to her. Best known as the lead singer of The Nolans and from her TV work on Brookside and The Bill, Bernie was a regular on the Empire stage too in various productions, most recently starring as Mama Morton in Chicago just last year. After fighting cancer for a number of years, she passed away this July aged 52. So, the Empire decided to take part in the national Macmillan event, which this year apparently aims to raise over £15m.Well, it should do with the help of a few celebs the Empire say will be stopping by at their own coffee morning on September 27. General manager Diane Belding said: “We were very sorry to hear that Bernie had lost her battle with cancer. There’s a lot of love for Bernie here at the Empire and we wanted to do something special in memory of her. Macmillan cancer support is a cause that everyone can unite behind and it’s a way for us to invite some of Bernie’s friends and fans to do something for charity in memory of her.” Macmillan, as you may well know, has an ambition is to reach and improve the lives of everyone affected by cancer in the UK, by providing them with medical, emotional, practical and financial support. The Empire says: "The coffee morning is open to anyone who wants to come along and enjoy a relaxed, chatty, and sociable atmosphere alongside some of the Empire’s favourite stars of the stage. Come and show your support, have some refreshments and take a moment out of your day to relax at the theatre. You’ll be making time for Macmillan to help families affected by cancer. The money raised will make a real difference to cancer sufferers and will help make sure people affected by cancer don’t have to face it alone." So in the spirit of any good coffee morning, hot drinks and cake will be provided by the Empire’s cafe, Autograph. There will also be a raffle and auction for prizes with all the money raised going to Macmillan. The event will take place in the theatre’s Atrium Bar between 11am and 3pm on Friday September 27. So, there you go. Pop along, give a few quid to a good cause, and see who you might meet. And because MADEUP, or anybody, barely needs an excuse, here's one of Bernie's finest hours:
