Nearly 60 years after HM Queen launched a buy a brick appeal to help complete Guildford Cathedral, Victoria Hamilton, who is playing Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother in the widely acclaimed Netflix production of The Crown,is pictured signing a brick to launch a similar appeal to help fund a world-class Urology Centre at The Royal Surrey County Hospital in Guildford.
The Prostate Project, a Guildford based prostate cancer charity, has already raised GBP1.65m towards the build cost and have been asked by the Royal Surrey to increase their contribution to GBP2m. Over 200,000 Guildford residents paid 7/6d each for a brick in the 1950’s appeal.
Victoria (stage name Hamilton) is the daughter of Tim Sharp, one of the founding trustees of the Prostate Project. Victoria’s passion for the theatre was fired during her time as a student at Priors Field School in Godalming.
Victoria’s credits include The Crown, Dr Foster, The Game, Larkrise to Candleford and leading roles at the RSC, The National and in the West End. She has also starred on Broadway with Eddie Izzard in ‘A Day in the Death of Joe Egg” and received an Evening Standard ‘Best Actress’ award for ‘Suddenly Last Summer’.
“I’m so thrilled to be able to help my Dad get over the line with funding for this fantastic project she said. Especially after the disappointment of the delay announced earlier this year. The Royal Surrey really needs this new centre. It will make a huge difference to the lives of urology patients throughout the county and beyond; men, women and children with urological problems will benefit from the very best treatment available in a modern, world-class facility”.
The Royal Surrey County Hospital recently announced that the development of the new Centre was about to restart. The Project was put on hold earlier this year due to the Trust’s financial position. Work is scheduled to start next Spring for completion in September 2018.
