Birthday Surprise from Bond
Posted on Tuesday 27th October 2015
Daniel Craig meets Aaron Aryitey
Patients at Evelina London Children’s Hospital got the surprise of a lifetime when Spectre star Daniel Craig and producer Barbara Broccoli joined them at a party to celebrate the hospital’s 10th birthday.
Daniel and Barbara met children, their families, and staff, before handing over a generous donation to mark the 10th birthday of our building on the St Thomas’ Hospital site.
Aaron Aryitey, 15, from Lewisham, was very surprised to meet the James Bond star. He says: “I was really overwhelmed to meet Daniel Craig, I’m a big fan of James Bond. I didn’t think I’d ever get to meet anyone famous like him.
“I thought it was just going to be a normal day on the ward but the visit really cheered me and everyone up, even after they left. My friends didn’t believe me when I showed them the picture.”
The Spectre cast and crew were in London filming scenes near the hospital at the time of the visit.
Amelia Ferguson, 14, from Esher in Surrey, is receiving care at Evelina London for a rare autoimmune condition called pandysautonomia. She also met Daniel during the visit.
She says: “Days can go by quite slowly when you’re in hospital, so seeing Daniel made everyone’s day. It’s not something that happens very often.
“We could see the helicopters from the hospital windows when they were filming some scenes. They flew by so quickly, it was very dramatic.”
Barbara Broccoli says: “It was a great experience for Daniel and me to visit Evelina London and meet some of the wonderful patients. We like to give back to the local communities where we shoot our films, and this was a great way to do so. The children sent me a beautiful handmade thank you card afterwards.”
Nurse Victoria Felton, who is the matron on Mountain Ward, says: “It was so difficult to keep the visit a surprise from our patients and their families as I knew how special it was going to be and how excited they’d all get.
“We held a party in our atrium and said we had some very special guests coming. I don’t think I’ll ever forget the shock on the children’s faces when they saw Daniel Craig step out of the lift.”
Marian Ridley, Director of Evelina London, says: “October marks 10 years since we opened the doors of our children’s hospital. The birthday celebrations have given us the perfect opportunity to say a heartfelt thank you to all of our supporters. Without them, none of our achievements over the past decade would have been possible.
“We’re extremely grateful for such an incredibly generous donation from EON Productions. Their visit and the donation have made our birthday even more special.”
Barbara and Daniel also donated lots of James Bond souvenirs and gifts for children who were not able to meet them on the day.
If you’d like to support Evelina London, you can do so by visiting the Support Evelina London website.