Aberdeen-born star of the BBC’s Call the Midwife, Laura Main, has been appointed as a patron of The ARCHIE Foundation, which supports Aberdeen Maternity Hospital through its much-loved Friends of the Neonatal Unit.
Laura plays Shelagh Turner in the popular BBC TV Show, which has been running since 2011. Her work sees her spend much of her time in London but as a born and bred Aberdonian she jumped at the chance to support the charity.
“Like most Aberdonians, I was myself born in Aberdeen Maternity Hospital and my sisters had their babies, my lovely nephews and niece, there too.”
Laura began performing as a child in local stage productions, then while studying History of Art at The University of Aberdeen she performed in several Student Shows. After graduating Laura moved to London to study acting, performing with the Royal Shakespeare Company before landing an original cast role in Call the Midwife. Laura is a keen supporter of children’s charities and won the coveted golden Pudsey Bear trophy in a Call The Midwife Strictly Come Dancing Special for Children in Need in 2015, when she performed the jive to Tutti Frutti with Brendan Cole.
Laura performed closer to home when she played the role of Fairy Godmother in Aberdeen Performing Art’s pantomime 'Cinderella' at His Majesty’s Theatre in winter 2019. As part of this she visited Royal Aberdeen Children’s Hospital with Alan McHugh and other members of the cast.
“It was such a special experience, if slightly surreal turning up at the Children’s Hospital dressed as a fairy,” says Laura “The joy on the children’s faces was incredibly heartwarming and visiting sick children in hospital to try to bring a bit of cheer to their day is definitely something I’d like to repeat within my role as a patron for the charity but I’m not sure I’ll have the same impact turning up as Laura Main rather than Fairy Godmother!” she joked.
Director of fundraising for The ARCHIE Foundation, Paula Cormack, commented as she welcomed Laura on board: “Laura is a really natural fit for the charity and her personality and of course her profile will bring so much to The ARCHIE Foundation. We feel really honoured to have a star in our midst and are very much looking forward to working with Laura to help make the difference for babies, children and families affected by illness and of course also for the wonderful NHS staff who support them.”
The ARCHIE Foundation provides a wide range of support and services for babies, children and their families across the north and north east of Scotland. The charity encompasses Friends of the Neonatal Unit (FOTNU), based at Aberdeen Maternity Hospital, which funds vital equipment to ensure the Unit can provide the best possible care for babies born too sick or too soon. Through FOTNU the charity funds a psychologist and counsellor, who work with parents of babies in the Neonatal Unit to support their mental health and wellbeing in very difficult and challenging circumstances.
The ARCHIE Foundation also includes Grampian Child Bereavement Network, a service which supports children who have lost a loved one. To find out more about ARCHIE’s work and how you can help support a family in need please visit www.archie.org/donate