BAFTA award-winning actress Miriam Margolyes OBE took a day out of her busy schedule to support a Kensal Green animal welfare charity’s new campaign.
Ms Margolyes, a high- profile supporter of the Mayhew in Trenmar Gardens, was at Notting Hill tube station this morning urging Londoner's to support the charity's newly launched 'A Life, Shared' campaign and raise money for pet owners facing personal crises.
Workers at the charity brought a therapy dog called Luna, a golden retriever, to showcase to onlookers who took an immediate liking to the 78-year-old Harry Potter and Call the Midwife star,
Ms Margolyes, who played Professor Sprout in the Harry Potter series and also won a BAFTA for Best Actress in Supporting Role for her appearance in The Age of Innocence, said: "I have been very lucky in my life and I think it is important to give back. "I love animals and I am an old lady so it seemed like a perfect charity to me.
"When people can't afford to look after their dog or they fall ill, people are deprived and Mayhew fills that hole.
"I think they are just the most wonderful animal, and I love cats too.
"You have to be responsible and not have a dog if you can't look after it properly, but I have always loved them and I grew up with dogs.
"I've always been involved with animal charities and loads of different kinds of charities."
The Mayhew, whose patron is Megan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, was established in 1886 and performs several different functions including rehoming and fostering dogs, reuniting them with their owners and taking them on visits to care homes.
Celebrity and vip officer for the charity Marie-Claire Macintosh said: "Everyone in the charity is so excited that Miriam is working with us.
"Anyone, at any time, can face difficulties and find themselves needing support to maintain that relationship, which is where the services provided by this wonderful charity come in."
Accidents, ongoing illness or a loss of employment are all causes for the relationship breakdown between pets and their owners.
As part of their new campaign, one of Mayhew's local celebrity ambassadors Louis Theroux did a voice-over of a poem in an animated film which can be seen on its website.
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