Patrons & Ambassadors

Hollywood superstars Stephen Graham and his wife, actress Hannah Walters became Patrons in November 2017.

The couple, who live in the Leicestershire village of Ibstock, first visited the Hospice early November, which inspired them to bucket collect for LOROS, raising nearly £2,500.

Stephen is best known for his roles in films This Is England, in which he played Combo, Tommy in Snatch, Scrum in Pirates of the Caribbean and Baby Face Nelson, in Public Enemies.

In addition to appearing in a huge number of hit films, Stephen has also starred in television series Boardwalk Empire as Al Capone, Atticus in Taboo and Detective Dave Kelly, Little Boy Blue.

Stephen was nominated for a BAFTA in 2013 for ‘Best Supporting Actor’ in TV series Accused and then again in 2016, for ‘Best Leading Actor’ in This Is England ’90.

Stephen’s wife, Hannah, appeared alongside him in Pirates of the Caribbean and has also starred in television series Whitechapel and No Offence.

Hannah also starred in the film version of This Is England back in 2006, as a shoe shop assistant, before playing Trudy in the adapted television series, which Stephen also starred in.

Over two weeks Stephen and Hannah, with help from their two children collected £2,346 for LOROS, by bucket collecting up-down-the country.

They both felt ‘honoured’ and ‘privileged’ to become Patrons of the Hospice.

“After our visit to LOROS, we left feeling inspired. It’s great to be able to support a local organisation which is right on our doorstep.”

World Snooker Champion, Mark Selby, became a LOROS Patron in November 2009.

Mark was snooker’s youngest professional when he joined the paid ranks as a 16 year old in 1999, but it wasn’t until the 2007 888.com World Championship that he really began to show the world what he can do. His amazing run to the final at the Crucible Theatre made everyone sit up and notice his talents.

He threatened to pull off the biggest comeback in the history of the sport’s most prestigious tournament before eventually succumbing 18-13 to John Higgins. Nevertheless, Mark’s heroics on the table – and his antics around the green baize, which earned him his ‘Jester from Leicester’ nickname – endeared him to a whole new legion of fans.

His first title win was at the 2008 Saga Insurance Masters at Wembley. Mark quickly followed up this triumph with his first ranking event title when he came from behind against Ronnie O’Sullivan to win the Welsh Open in thrilling style and put him fourth in the rankings.

In 2011, Mark realised his lifetime ambition by rising to the top of the world rankings for the first time; he beat Mark Williams 10-9 in an epic Shanghai Masters final to steal the coveted No.1 spot.

Mark joined snooker’s elite by winning the Masters trophy for the third time in January 2013, beating Neil Robertson 10-6 at Alexandra Palace.

In May 2014 Mark won his first dafabet World Championship trophy and became World number 1.

Mark is also a dab hand at pool, having won the EPA World Eight-Ball title in 2006 and playing regularly for the Leicestershire County side.

Mark is delighted to be a LOROS Patron as he is very grateful for the help and support that his father and his family received from LOROS.

TV superstar and stand-up comedian Greg Davies became a Patron of LOROS in January 2018, following a visit he made to the Hospice a few months before.

Inspired by the care he saw and the ‘positive’ atmosphere at LOROS, Greg was keen to support LOROS further and so went on to raise a total of more than £2,000 at three gigs held in Leicester, before accepting the title of ‘Patron’ of the Hospice shortly after.

Best known for his roles in TV shows, The Inbetweeners, Cuckoo, Man Down and the host of Taskmaster, Greg says that his visit to LOROS completely changed his perception of hospices.

He was admittedly sceptical before visiting LOROS but says the Hospice is “very much alive” despite it being a place that cares for the seriously ill.

So much so, Greg went on to mention LOROS and his visit during his show throughout his nationwide tour. “I’m delighted to become one of their Patrons,” he said.

Charlie Clapham is a Leicester-born actor who stars in Channel 4 soap Hollyoaks.

Charlie, who plays Freddie Roscoe in the television programme first came into contact with LOROS, when he and his family, who own Leicester tattoo and piercing parlour, Kazbah, wanted to help the Hospice celebrate their 30th anniversary.

He visited LOROS for the first time in November 2015, spending the day talking with patients, their families and members of staff.

Following his visit, which Charlie said was ‘extremely heart-warming’, he immediately knew he wanted to continue supporting LOROS.

“It’s great knowing that somewhere like LOROS exists and it doesn’t just exist, it exists in my home town and that makes me very proud.

“Being asked to become a Patron for LOROS is one of the best things ever,” he said. “It is an absolute honour.”

Charlie has since attended some of our fundraising events and has even held his own piercing day, where he raised nearly £1,000 for LOROS by giving fans the chance to get pierced by him.

Alan or ‘Birch’ as he is affectionately known became a LOROS Patron in August 2009.

He is a former Leicester City footballer who played during the 1960s and 1970s as an attacking midfielder. Born in East Ham he made his Football League debut with Sheffield United before playing with Chelsea and Crystal Palace. He was signed by Leicester City in 1971.

Alan has been working in the community for over 30 years and in 2002 was awarded an MBE for his charity work. In 2009, Leicester City Council announced that he was to be given the Honorary Freedom of Leicester and two years later, in 2011, Alan received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from the University of Leicester.

Alan has been working behind the scenes for the club and is currently Club Ambassador, which includes the roll of pre-match and half-time host, at Leicester City.

He has recently taken his charity fundraising efforts through the £1 million mark, after a season of initiatives aimed at making the Birch a platinum fundraiser in his 40th year with the Foxes.

The Birch, a long time supporter of LOROS, said he was “honoured to become a Patron. I know what a fantastic job LOROS do, it is a wonderful organisation."

Anne became a LOROS Patron in January 2015. Anne is instantly recognisable to most local people as she is a popular television presenter and newsreader, currently presenting BBC East Midlands today.

Anne began her career with BBC Current Affairs, working behind the scenes in Question Time, Panorama and the Money Programme. She then moved to BBC Radio Leicester and BBC Radio Derby. After training for a year at ITN, Anne became the regular newsreader for Central News East. In 1993, Anne fronted the ITV daytime programme Look Good Feel Great with Diana Moran; the environmental series Earth Dwellers Guide and produced and presented fashion shows for the ITV network entitled Off the Peg. Anne then moved to GMTV, presenting the first breakfast programme with Eamonn Holmes.

Anne moved back to the East Midlands to work for the BBC in May 2001 and has been presenting East Midlands Today since. Whilst there she has presented five series of the documentary series Inside Out, always fronts Children in Need and helped the programme win two Royal Television Society Awards for her coverage of the Madeline McCann story and the Olympic Torch Special from Derby. She won an RTS Award for “Best on Screen Personality” in 2012.

Anne visited LOROS in the summer of 2014 and was very touched and impressed by the services she saw at first hand. She said: “To see the difference LOROS makes to so many local patients and their families was a very moving experience and I am delighted to become a LOROS Patron so that I can help LOROS continue to provide their much needed services to terminally ill patients and their families”.

After 9 years as a Board Trustee of LOROS and compulsorily retirement in November 2023, it is a pleasure to announce that Chris Greenwell has decided to carry on his amazing support to LOROS and has become an Ambassador.

After 38 years as a Dispute Resolution Solicitor he retired from practice in Sept 2021 and is an ambassador for MY Law Firm PLC.

From 1st Oct 2021 he has a Non Executive Director at Earl Shilton Building Society and a Consultant at Anthony James Insurance Brokers Limited.  He has participated in the management and running of a small three partner legal practice (Tollers) subsequently Nelsons (turnover now c £20m) to Gateley PLC ( turnover c £161m, c1370 employees ) with regulatory accountability to AIM.

Chris supports other local charities and has been very active in his role as a LOROS Trustee, with regards to Fundraising he has been a huge support with various activities including treks (Peru, Kilimanjaro & Sahara), golf days, accumulator challenges, supporting our annual balls and Samworth events as well as our RRL auction and he also makes a mean Christmas Cake too!

If there is anything you think he will be able to help you with, please let me know, he will be coming in over the next month to discuss his new role and I know you will make him feel very welcome.

Svetlana and her husband Mukesh Parmar started fundraising through their snooker and pool club The Winchester in Wigston in 2010. In 2019 they joined LOROS as ambassadors.

Apart from helping her husband run the club, Svetlana is also a Non-Executive Director on the Board of English Partnership for Snooker and Billiards, a governing body for amateur snooker and billiards.

A snooker player in the past herself, she supports and encourages more women to play this fascinating game.

Originally from Northamptonshire Mukesh, an ex-professional snooker player, moved to Leicester in 2002 to manage the infamous Willie Thorne Snooker Centre.

During his time at the club, he met fellow Leicester resident, Mark Selby and went on to manage and coach Mark successfully for more than seven years.

Mukesh said: "I first attended the hospice in 2007 with Mark and we were both amazed at the facilities and the high level of care and compassion that LOROS provide.

"Every year since I acquired The Winchester snooker and pool club in Wigston Magna in 2010 we have organised a charity exhibition and fundraiser for the Hospice.

"World-class snooker players such as Mark Selby, Shaun Murphy, Steve Davis, John Parrott and local legends Chris Edwards, Steve Walsh, Muzzy Izzet, Manu Tuilagi plus many more, have all helped us to raise much-needed funds for this amazing charity."

Mukesh was honoured and proud to be selected to be a Batonbearer for the Queens 2022 Commonwealth games held in Birmingham this year.

Adrian joined LOROS as a community fundraiser and held managerial and community roles in his twenty-two years with the charity, prior to retiring in 2020.

With the name, Adrian Walker, it was his destiny to be a walker! What started as a one-off Wainwright Coast to Coast Walk for LOROS (192 miles over two weeks) in 2003, became 14 times leading different groups over the years. Other treks have included Hadrian’s Wall, West Highland Way, Cleveland Way, and numerous other UK Trails. Even in retirement, this has continued with regular training walks to keep up his and other participants' fitness, ready for further challenges. In 2023 there will be three new walks including the 130-mile Anglesey Circuit, St Oswald’s Way, and the Herriot Way.  Over £350,000 has been raised to date for LOROS.

Always one to keep busy Adrian drives the LOROS Local exhibition vehicle for the hospice Community Engagement Team and volunteers at many of the big LOROS events. He works part-time for a few of the Leicestershire Co-op Stores, engaging with their communities and local causes. He is actively involved as a Rotarian with Bradgate Rotary and is an invigilator at Countesthorpe Academy.

Also proving popular are Adrian’s illustrated and humorous talks for groups such as the WI and Rotary Clubs on LOROS and his Treks. During Covid times these were transformed into Zoom sessions!

Nicki was already a regular LOROS donor when she was accepted to spend some time with the Fundraising Team in 2001 on ‘work experience’ as part of a course on working for charities.

Since then she has not been able to extricate herself from the work of the Fundraising Department, but she thoroughly enjoys the wide range of activities and contacts that this involves.

Nicki has undertaken several long distance walking challenges in aid of LOROS – ‘Not the Inca Trail’ in Peru, the 192 mile Coast to Coast Walk, Hadrian’s Wall, the West Highland Way and the Cleveland Way, raising several hundred pounds each time. She has also run the Leicester Half Marathon and assisted with packing the runners’ goody bags the day before the race.

Nicki has also helped out frequently at a range of annual fundraising events – the Walk on the Wildside, the Twilight Walk, the Ladies’ Luncheon and One Big Bike Ride to name but a few – and is also a regular member of the bag packing teams at M&S and Morrison’s. For a number of years she helped to organise the LOROS Christmas concert in Leicester Cathedral.

Nicki left full time employment in education at the end of 2000 and has been delighted to be able to benefit from the flexibility that freelance work allows in order to spend time with LOROS staff and volunteers on a variety of projects.

She is flattered to have been invited to become a LOROS ambassador and excited about carrying out the role.

Rebecca was appointed as an Ambassador, having had a lot of direct experience with LOROS.

Rebecca's first contact with LOROS was in 1992, when her Grandma was cared for in the Hospice, and then in 2005 with her Grandad. More recently, her Dad, Steve, an inpatient at LOROS, passed away in April 2016.

She has been a volunteer since 2006, and during her visits to the Hospice to visit her Dad, she realised she wanted to do more for the charity and became a volunteer lottery collector. She has been so impressed by the care LOROS provide, not only to the patients but also to their families, she wanted to give something back.

Rebecca and her family hold annual fundraising events for LOROS, along with providing gift bags for those spending Christmas in LOROS.

Rebecca is a self-employed Sign Language Interpreter, working in Leicestershire and the surrounding areas. She continues to volunteer in the Biggin Street shop, and as a lottery collector, plus she has recently become a “Speaking Out” volunteer. She is passionate about raising the profile of LOROS and is honoured to be an Ambassador.

Liz was appointed a LOROS Ambassador in April 2009. When she was 16 years old her family moved to Quorn. Liz qualified as a teacher from the Yorkshire Training College and at the age of 21 moved to London and taught at an inner London comprehensive school for almost 18 years. She returned to Leicestershire (Coleorton) when her late husband moved his business to Coalville in 1987.

In 1989, Liz was part of a group who formed a support group for LOROS after the death of her mother, Olive Deerning earlier that year.

Liz has been both Governor and Chair of Governors for the local primary school in Coleorton, helping them raise funds and achieve a new annexe.

Liz has, in all but name, served as an Ambassador for LOROS since 1989 and is delighted to continue her marvellous support of LOROS and is grateful to the Coleorton Support Group and her family for all their support of her magnificent fundraising efforts.

Monica is a broadcast journalist at BBC Radio Leicester. Monica has been a well-known 'voice' for over 30 years, however she says it’s still a novelty to meet people who have heard her on air, but have no idea what she looks like!

Monica’s association with LOROS began when she joined Liz Singleton’s team at the Lottery office. A great number of organisations, including luncheon clubs, Women’s Institutes and church groups, were keen to invite her to be a guest speaker on behalf of LOROS, and to promote Lottery memberships and scratch-cards! On all of those occasions, Monica was deeply touched by the positive stories she heard.

"So many people have seen and experienced – through friends and family members - the dedicated care and support provided by LOROS, and the high regard and esteem local people have for their hospice is overwhelming."

For the last two years, Monica and her colleagues at APPLAUSE (a not-for-profit team dedicated to staging musical events for local charities) have organised the performers for the LOROS Cathedral Carols and it was at the end of this year’s event that Monica learned she was going to be invited to become a LOROS Ambassador: "It’s fair to say I was speechless – which is a pretty rare event for someone in my line of work! I’m determined to live up to the honour of being an Ambassador and am looking forward to doing all that I can to raise both awareness and funds for such a caring local charity."

Born in India, Ishvar moved to Leicester in 1968. Having worked the majority of his life as an Aerospace Engineer, he also enjoyed playing cricket in his spare time. He was one of the founder members of Gujarat Cricket Club. He was also General Secretary and President of the national charity Shree SarvodayaSamaj. He also took on the role of Joint Secretary for The Gujarat Hindu Association which is an umbrella organisation supporting over 60 community-based organisations. Having a major interest in developing and supporting communities, he has always tried his utmost to make a significant contribution.

He began his involvement with LOROS in 2004 when he and his wife Kamla took part in the LOROS annual charity walk. Unfortunately, Kamla fell ill later that year and lost her struggle to bowel cancer in 2005. During her illness, she spent some time at the LOROS Hospice. The care and attention she received were exemplary and this had a long-lasting effect on both Ishvar and the whole family. Ishvar continued to take part in the annual walk, raising monies for the charity. In 2012, he began volunteering for LOROS raising awareness of their work and their profile amongst the diverse communities of Leicester.

Ishvar continues to enjoy his work for LOROS and feels very fortunate to be involved in helping the organisation reach out to all. He feels very honoured to act as an ambassador for LOROS and thanks the organisation for giving him the opportunity to make a real difference within the community.

Kishor left school at the age of 16 to start his career as an engineering apprentice.

He then went into the telecommunication industry by joining the General Post Office (GPO). At the age of 20 he was a 'youth in training’, installing small switchboards and lines into customer premises.

Kishor started work with BT in 1978. Part of his current job is to promote IT and broadband to local businesses, schools, colleges and local community groups. He has been nominated for a number of awards from BT and he was also nominated by BT to attend the Queen’s Garden Party at Buckingham Palace. He has been involved in various charity fundraising opportunities over the last 30 years and those charities include LOROS and Childline (supported by BT).

Kishor has also been involved with the National Space Centre, where he sat on the Committee of the Kalapana Chawala Foundation, which aims to raise the awareness of science and education for young people and under-privileged community groups. Through this work he made a number of high profile contacts, including the High Commissioner of India, His Excellency Kamlesh Sharma, who was invited to the National Space Centre to see the work being carried out in the name of the Indian Astronaut, Kalpana Chawala. After visiting, the High Commissioner sent two students from universities in the UK to visit the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in Bangalore. The visit took place in October 2007 and Kishor and the students were taken to see the Indian Space Research program, satellite tracking division and satellite launch pad in Sri Hari Kota.

Kishor says: "It is a pleasure and a honour to be invited to become an Ambassador for LOROS."

Andy and his daughter run a successful online retail company, The Urban Company UK (LTD).

Andy’s involvement with LOROS began in 2008 when he moved back, after an absence of twenty three years, to the village of Great Glen. As a child Andy had personally taken part in the annual wheelbarrow race. Moving back to the village rekindled his memories of what being part of a friendly community was all about.

Andy chose to fundraise for LOROS as this was the preferred charity of many of the village residents he had spoken to.

The ‘Great Glen Wheelbarrow Race’ is an annual event, started in 2009 and now firmly fixed on both the village and the LOROS calendar. Year on year the number of visitors and attractions has increased due mainly to Andy’s ongoing commitment to make each year “bigger and better”.

Andy’s work for LOROS does not stop with his own event; he is a regular volunteer and speaker at many events across Leicestershire, bringing his family with him.

Andy said: "From my first time of visiting the Hospice I was so impressed with the facilities and the high standard and different types of care being provided. All the people who are employed and volunteer at the Hospice do an amazing job and want to make a difference to the lives of patients and their families".

Tony is a highly valued member of LOROS and is keen to develop links for us.

Tony has lived in Leicestershire since 1968. His family has had a fashion retail business and they still run a property management business.

Tony believes everybody should contribute to make a better community for all and over the years he has been involved in many community projects which have given him enormous pleasure. He has enjoyed many different hobbies; he played cricket for a well known team, wrote short stories and plays, swims regularly, reads and speaks four different languages and has served as the Chairman of the Landlord Association since 1998.

He works purely in a voluntary capacity and his role is to represent LOROS in the community and with businesses.

We asked Amarjit to become an Ambassador for LOROS in recognition of his valuable contribution to our work with 2,500 terminally ill patients and their families.