Emily Firmin, who appeared as herself in the iconic children’s show about a lost-and-found ‘shop’, officially opened the store on Mount Pleasant on Thursday.
Her father, Peter Firmin, created Bagpuss with Oliver Postgate. They gave the charity the right to use the characters to raise funds for the Bagpuss Children’s Hospice Wing in Brasov, Romania.
Hospices of Hope was founded by Tunbridge Wells resident Graham Perolls, CMG, OBE, after he visited a state hospital in Romania following the fall of communism.
He was shocked by the conditions – particularly the lack of pain relief for patients with terminal cancer – and was determined to help.
Hospices of Hope is now the leading hospice care charity in south eastern Europe, working in Albania, Romania, Serbia and Moldova.
With country partners, it has cared for 40,000 patients and provided training for 20,000 healthcare professionals since it was established in 1991.
Chief Executive Carolyn Perolls said: “We are so pleased to have moved to such a central location within the town, where our new shop is already proving very popular. We are very grateful to Emily for her support.”
The charity is launching a Bagpuss 600 Appeal to raise funds for the Bagpuss Wing, which provides hospice care for up to 150 seriously ill children and costs £215,000 a year to run.
