CURB's Former Patron

Angharad Rees (Lady McAlpine CBE)

1944 - 2012

Angharad was awarded the CBE

(Commander of the Order of the British Empire)

for her services to drama

 Queen's Honours List 2004

Welsh actress Angharad Mary Rees, actress and jewellery designer died in the summer of 2012 aged 68 after a brave battle against pancreatic cancer. 

Angharad joined CURB as its initial Patron October 1991.  During her 21 years as CURB’s Patron Angharad was steadfast with her support and dedication in curbing bullying in schools!

Angharad became one the best known faces of the 1970’s for her role as spirited servant Demelza, who married tin mine owner Ross Poldark in the BBC costume drama Poldark, set in Cornwall.

Before the TV series which made her name, Angharad made her television debut as a parlour maid in a 1968 adaptation of Shaw’s Man and Superman, appearing alongside Eric Porter and Maggie Smith.

She also appeared in the 1972 film Under Milk Wood with fellow Welsh actors Richard Burton and Sian Phillips, along with Hollywood star Elizabeth Taylor, and was nominated for a best newcomer award for her role in the film Moments (1974) with Keith Michell.

In addition, Angharad had a role in Dennis Potter’s Joe’s Ark, the cult classic Hands of the Ripper, and her extensive theatre career on the West End stage, included ‘A Winter’s Tale, Richard II, Romeo and Juliet Hamlet, John Osbourne’s A Picture of Dorian Grey, and An Ideal Husband’.

Her TV credits included, a BBC adaptation of Shakespeare's As You Like It and Trainer, a drama series set in the world of horse racing.  She also appeared in various television dramas and comedy series, including, The Way We Live Now, The Avengers, The Wednesday Play, Doctor in the House, Crown Court and Within These Walls, As You Like It, Robin Hood, Remington Steel, Jane Eyre, Love Story and Little Girl In Blue Velvet.

In radio, Angharad won the Prix Italia for Florent and the Tuxedo Millions in 1982 and was nominated for a best actress award in 1985.

The actress’s late father Professor Linford Rees was an eminent psychiatrist, originally from the Burry Port area of Carmarthenshire, while her late mother Catherine was from the Swansea Valley.

Angharad was born in Edgware, England, however she and her family moved to Rhiwbina Cardiff when Angharad was a small child.  Even after Angharad moved back to London she maintained her strong link with the city where she grew up and became an Honorary Fellow of the Cardiff based Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama.

Angharad had two sons - Linford and Rhys - from her marriage to the Dynasty star Christopher Cazenove, which ended in divorce in 1994.  After the devastating loss of her eldest son Linford, who was killed in a car crash on the M11 in Essex in 1999 aged 26, Angharad turned her back on acting and threw herself into her "therapeutic" passion for jewellery design.

Using her exceptional additional creative talent, Angharad not only had a successful fine jewellery business that resulted in opening a shop in Knightsbridge, some of her exquisite Qing Dynasty Collection were commissioned and featured in the film ‘Elizabeth - The Golden Age’, (2007), worn by actress Cate Blanchett (Queen Elizabeth) and her ladies in waiting throughout the film!

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CURB's Patron

Actor Billy Murray

Billy has entertained British Television audiences for over thirty years. Starring in ‘Eastenders" as the crime boss "Johnnie Allen, however, Billy is perhaps best known for his role as DS Don Beech in ITV series ‘The Bill’!

Billy’s on screen presence is very much underrated and thanks to his charismatic manner Billy has always given convincing edge and depth to the characters he portrays.  Billy is very grateful to Don Beech as Billy believes this character has made him a household name and equally believes that people still know him as Billy, as well as that man who plays Don Beech!

Some of the cast of The Bill get harassed quite a bit, and people can be wary about others, but because of the nature of the character Billy plays, it's not been like that for him and Billy “he thinks he’s been fortunate”.  What tends to be forgotten is some of the major credits Billy has notched up on his way to staring in The Bill.

With more than 40 years of performance, he has gained respect for first-class performances in British television's more remarkable dramas. Pick any popular mainstream long lived British drama or comedy over the past two decades and you will probably find that Bill Murray has had guest-starring roles in most of them at one time or another.

An interesting tit bit of trivia about this actor is that he was set to play Derek "Dell Boy" Trotter in Only Fools and Horses, but was replaced last minute by David Jason due to conflicting production schedules.