Grand act of 'Paying Forward' kindness set to help Wolverhampton homeless charity

Lydia Greatrix is teaming up with the city’s Grand Theatre and the touring production of the musical ‘Come From Away’ to help support the Good Shepherd. 

The 25-year-old, also known as ‘Theatrical Lydia’, said she is on a mission to show how social action can be achieved within the arts by "paying forward" kindness on tour with Come From Away.

The musical tells the real-life story of how residents in Gander in Newfoundland in Canada showed kindness to 7,000 stranded airline passengers after the closure of US airspace following the 9/11 attacks.

After first seeing the show in London in December 2019, Lydia said she met her friend Laura Townsend, who later suggested that they should tour the UK with the musical, while performing acts of kindness everywhere they travelled.

After Laura died in June last year, Lydia said she decided to do the tour in her memory and orchestrate her own acts of kindness in the towns and cities the show visited along the way. 

She has since set up food bank drives, organised litter picks and beach cleans, bought supplies for a primary school, donated to several animal shelters, and more, all over the UK, in a tour of kindness stretching from Aberdeen to Plymouth.

She said: “What I am doing is very much in tribute to Laura and in her memory, and also ties in with the charity Pay It Forward 9/11, a cause set up by real life 'Plane Person’ Kevin Tuerff, who, after being stranded in Gander in 2001, set up his own charity to pay forward the kindness he was shown.

“Having been born in Wolverhampton and grown up in Hinstock in North Shropshire, I’m really excited to see the tour ‘come home’ to the city, and delighted to be working with the Grand Theatre and the Good Shepherd to support the charity during the week’s run.

“I have heard all about the vitally important work the Good Shepherd delivers via its range of food and different support services, and I am sure theatregoers attending ‘Come from Away’ will be keen to show their support and ‘pay it forward’ to help people experiencing difficult times within the city.

“I hope patrons of Come From Away will open their hearts to support this incredible cause and make a real difference during the show’s run at Wolverhampton Grand Theatre.”

Audiences are invited to bring along donations of new socks and underwear to performances of Come From Away, which will be passed on to the Good Shepherd based on Waterloo Road.

Lucy Cox, fundraising, grants and development manager at the Good Shepherd, said: “We were both delighted and honoured to be approached by Lydia with this incredible idea, and what a fitting tribute to her friend Laura, adapting the powerful plot of Come from Away to show kindness to people across the country.

“Those values of care and compassion are very much aligned to the approach we take here at the Good Shepherd, as well as from the local community who are so generous with their support and help with the services we deliver.

“We are really looking forward to working with Lydia and the Grand Theatre and adding this extra special concept to what I am sure will be a really poignant week of performances.”

Winner of four Olivier Awards including Best New Musical in London and the Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical on Broadway, Come from Away runs at the Grand Theatre from November 5 to 9.

Scott Bird, head of marketing and communications at the Grand Theatre, said: “As a charity ourselves, we at the Grand Theatre are always so grateful for the support people show to us as community is always at the heart of everything we do.

“We are therefore always looking for ways to give back and help and there is no more perfect show than Come From Away to celebrate the best of humanity and the power of community.

“It is the biggest honour to be working with Lydia to play our part in this nationwide campaign of paying it forward as the show tours the country.

“It is especially significant for us as we are both Lydia’s childhood theatre and we have been working to support the Good Shepherd this year by having our staff volunteer their time to help.”   

To find out more about Lydia's campaign, go to her JustGiving Page.