AN EAST Lancashire children’s charity has announced that it has two new celebrity patrons.

Child Action Northwest, which has its headquarters at the old Blackburn Orphanage building in Wilpshire, has recruited the help of Wendi Peters, best known for playing Cilla Battersby in Coronation Street, and best-selling Blackburn author, Josephine Cox.

All of the charity’s £1.4million of Government funding was slashed last year, and so it is looking to raise awareness of the vital work it does to help secure a bright future for the children and young people it works with all over the region.

After hearing that it would no longer receive support from the Government, the charity wrote to Wendi, who used to live opposite the orphanage as a girl and regularly go to tea with her best friend Jane who was a resident there.

Wendi, who was a pupil at Salesbury School, in Lovely Hall Lane, said: “I’m thrilled that the board think I would be suitable and I would be delighted and honoured to take up the position.

They are doing such wonderful work and, obviously love what they do.

“I will be so happy to help out when I can and spread the word about Child Action North West.”

Josephine, who was one of ten children and brought up in poverty, has gone on to sell 15 million copies of her novels worldwide.

She said: “The staff are immensely special in what they do to support children and young people and I heartily applaud them all.”

Child Action North West will be holding a charity Pound Day on June 24, taking inspiration from the orphanage’s annual fund-raiser, which was last held 120 years ago.

For more information, visit www.poundday.org.uk