There is no question that the last nine months have been different than any other for everyone. And so, for Damian, too, there was no filming, no going out in London, no theatre, no Wimbledon, no summer festival or live concert. l. But the good news is that the pandemic did not stop him from being very good at doing good.
We talked about Damian and Helen’s finest moment during the pandemic, Feed NHS, earlier here.
But then Damian wore his charity hat multiple times throughout the year for different great causes. And I think if Damian’s generous heart does not make a top moment, what else does?
So let’s start!
Damian played the guitar and sang “Has anybody seen my girl?” on World Health Day for #HopeFromHome – a first-of-its-kind multi-platform digital fundraising event to help fight the impacts of COVID-19.
Hmmm… look, Damian… While we love you sing, we have a lot of questions about that alligator head hanging on the wall! 😀 😀 😀
Then as an ambassador of Prince’s Trust, Damian participated in a Prince’s Trust video to urge young people to seek help during the pandemic.
He was also there to help Ruth Strauss Foundation that supports families dealing with the loss of a parent from cancer.
Have a go @LFC and everyone else and donate to @ruthstraussfoundation.com/donate #RSF26challenge pic.twitter.com/k6QZyVSDCV
— Damian Lewis (@lewis_damian) April 26, 2020
Is there anything this guy cannot do? 😀
We have seen Damian working the phones on the trading floor on BGC Charity Day to raise money for Cure EB and Sir Huber Von Herkomer Arts Foundation for the last couple of years. While he was not there on the trading floor this year due to the pandemic, Damian sent two heartfelt messages for both charities via Zoom!
Great to see Damian Lewis, cheering on our BGC brokers to raise as much as possible for charity today! Here he is supporting @SirHvHArts and all the amazing work they do. @lewis_damian #BGCCharityDay pic.twitter.com/Mhg4h6h7sF
— BGC Charity Day (@BGCCharityDay) September 11, 2020
Holidays brought us three virtual Christmas Carol Services all of which were held to raise funds for important causes and it was a true treat to see Damian read at these events and become part of the solution with our small contributions to the great causes these three services served.
Damian read John Betjeman’s ‘Advent 1955’ at the Christmas Carol service organized by Place2Be, a National Charity that works tirelessly to help with and improve children’s mental health services in schools across the UK.
Here is what Damian says about supporting Place2Be:
You can donate to Place2Be and watch the entire service here.
Next was the Christmas Carol Service held by Charlie Waller Trust, another mental health charity that reaches out to thousands of young people, parents and educators and provide them the strategies as well as the confidence to look after their mental health.
At this event pre-recorded at The Parish Church of St Luke – Chelsea, Damian read the letter Henry Williamson, a 19 year old soldier in British army during the WWI, wrote to his mother from the trenches to tell her about the Christmas truce British and German soldiers had at the war front in 1914.
I did not grow up in Christian tradition, yet I was so moved by this letter read by Damian with my favorite Christmas piece ‘Silent Night’ accompanying the reading. Can you imagine those young men (the average age of a WWI soldier in 1914 was only 23!!!) break bread together, share tobacco and have a football game for Christmas and then go back to their own trenches and do what they have to do?
Here is the original letter – all four pages of it – as well as pictures from Damian’s performance.
Last but not the least, Damian participated in Carols by Candlelight service organized by the Cystic Fibrosis Trust UK in aid of the Alice Martineau– a popular British pop singer and cystic fibrosis sufferer who died in 2003 when she was only 30 years old – Appeal. Damian was at home reading Carol Ann Duffy’s ‘Bethlehem: A Christmas Poem‘ for everyone that have suffered from Cystic Fibrosis.
You can watch the service in its entirety below. Please consider donating to the Cystic Fibrosis Trust UK here to view the service.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKKA05Ex3TI
