HemiHelp has announced that Damian Lewis will be appearing on stage at the 10th Anniversary Children Helping Children Concert at Cadogan Hall on Saturday 27 April at 6pm. Performers at the event will include Ronan Parke, 14, the fantastic finalist from Britain’s Got Talent.

Damian Lewis attended the inaugural HemiHelp Children Helping Children Concert at Cadogan Hall 10 years ago. Damian has a relative who has hemiplegia and he has seen at close hand the daily challenges that this young relative and her family have faced, with the condition affecting her schooling, friendships and her health and the extra pressure it has also put on her siblings, often the unsung heros in a family of a child with a disability. He would like to assist HemiHelp to raise awareness and much needed funds, the condition affects 1 in 1000 children and the impact on their lives of this very serious neurological condition can be mild to devastating.

Guests at the event will also include Al Murray, Scott Mills and Jacquetta Allsopp (nee Wheeler), as well as HemiHelp’s patrons.

The Children Helping Children Concert is known for spotting the international classical music stars of tomorrow. This is a concert for all the family, where talented young musicians (some as young as seven!) perform at one of London’s leading concert halls, Cadogan Hall, in order to raise money for HemiHelp, the national charity for children and young people with hemiplegia.

This is the 10th Anniversary of the concert! The very first concert featured Nicola Benedetti (before she went on to win BBC Young Musician of the Year) and another highlight was the UK debut performance of Hayley Westenra. Celebrities who have appeared at previous concerts include Alexander Armstrong, Damian Lewis, Natalie Klein and Ronnie Ancona.

The 2013 Children Helping Children Concert will showcase talented young musicians aged between 7 -17 years. This year¹s performers will include a tiny violinist, a 13-year old pianist and composer who will play a movement from his own concerto, a 17-year old clarinet player, the Junior Brass Band Group from the Centre for Young Musicians and some surprise celebrity guest appearances (to be announced).

Bring the family along and enjoy a wonderful evening of musical entertainment, whilst supporting this worthy cause.

The money raised from the Children Helping Children Concert will enable HemiHelp to continue to provide information and support to children and families affected by hemiplegia. HemiHelp relies on this event to provide a large proportion of its annual income, which is used to keep services running. These services include the helpline, conferences for parents and medical professionals, fun days, activity taster days for children, music and drama and dance workshops, a home visiting service and the production of a wide range of information and advice leaflets, as well as a popular quarterly magazine.

Childhood hemiplegia is an incurable condition, caused by damage to the brain, which may happen before, during or soon after childbirth. It is a form of cerebral palsy, and it is frequently caused by stroke occuring either before, during or after birth. The condition is relatively common and affects one in 1000 births. HemiHelp is a national charity offering information and support to children and their families affected by hemiplegia. More information is available at www.hemihelp.org.uk.

A host of star performers, presenters and guests have been announced for the 37th Olivier Awards with MasterCard, with Broadway stars and Glee co-actors Matthew Morrison and Idina Menzel set to appear at the glittering ceremony and international stars Daniel Radcliffe and Damian Lewis confirmed to open the life-changing golden envelopes.

Alongside solo performances by Tony Award-winning Wicked star Menzel and Tony Award- nominated Morrison, who will be flying into the UK especially for the one-off exclusive appearance which marks his first ever performance at a major UK event, the prestigious Royal Opera House-held ceremony on 28 April will also see West End veteran Petula Clark perform. The actress, who has performed the lead role of Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard more times than any other actress, is also a hugely successful recording artist and appears at the ceremony in her 80th year.

Speaking about performing at the event, Menzel described herself as “absolutely delighted to have been invited to sing,” adding, “It will be a great honour to perform in the company of Britain’s theatre elite on such a special night. I can’t wait to be back in London.”

The evening’s event will also include sensational performances from some of this year’s nominated musicals. Will Young, who is nominated in the Best Actor in a Musical category for his debut musical performance on the London stage, will join the cast of Rufus Norris’ acclaimed production of Cabaret, the full companies of A Chorus Line and Top Hat will entertain with pieces created especially for the awards, and The Bodyguard star and Best Actress in a Musical nominee Heather Headley will sing the goose bump creating I Will Always Love You.

In another Olivier Awards exclusive, Busted and Son Of Dork musician James Bourne will sing from his nominated musical Loserville, which was based on his concept album Welcome To Loserville.

The incredible line-up of performers will have to wait to find out whether one of the many high-profile presenters announced today will be presenting them with one of the coveted prizes. Lewis and Radcliffe will be joined by fellow actors Kim Cattrall, Lee Evans, Romola Garai, Lily James and David Suchet, as well as presenter and musician Myleene Klass, and comedian Tim Minchin who is no stranger to the event having triumphed at last year’s ceremony for his part in the record-breaking, seven-time winner Matilda The Musical.

Today’s exciting announcement also reveals details of the free public event in Covent Garden’s Piazza. West End star and former Olivier Award nominee Michael Xavier and BBC Radio 2’s Claudia Winkleman will oversee proceedings at the BBC Radio 2 Stage, where the public are invited to gather on 28 April to watch special live performances from shows including Billy Elliot The Musical, Matilda The Musical, The Phantom Of The Opera, Wicked, Burn The Floor, Potted Potter and Some Like It Hip Hop. Attendees will then be able to watch the excitement unfold with a live big screen relay of the glittering ceremony held at the other equally iconic Covent Garden space, the Royal Opera House.

Commenting on his forthcoming Oliviers role, the actor said: “I’m delighted to have been invited to co-host the Olivier Awards Piazza event with the fabulous Claudia Winkleman. This free live celebration is a fantastic opportunity for the public to be a part of the Awards and witness performances from some of the hottest shows in town. What’s not to love?”

For those unable to make it down to the Piazza there are plenty of ways to tune into events. ITV will broadcast a highlights programme following the ceremony, while BBC Radio 2 will be broadcasting the entire ceremony live from the Royal Opera House from 18:00 with Ken Bruce and Anneka Rice hosting the evening’s entertainment.

Source: Olivier Awards

Damian Lewis and Helen McCrory attended the Prince’s Trust Celebrate Success Awards at Odeon Leicester Square on Tuesday in London. Click below for pictures from the event.

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More on the Awards:

Metro – Damian Lewis: Film inspired my Prince’s Trust role
USA Today – Prince Charles visits stars at Prince’s Trust awards

Click below for pics of Damian Lewis at the press night for ‘The Book of Mormon’ at Prince Of Wales Theatre on March 21 in London.

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