Award-winning actor Miriam Margolyes is the new patron of the Whitecliffs Talking Newspaper, following in the footsteps of Sir Norman Wisdom who died in 2010, aged 92.

She is a star of stage, screen and radio, famed for a younger generation for her role as Professor Sprout in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.

Miss Margolyes, who has a home at St Margaret’s, said: "I’ve always been involved in fund-raising for the blind, ever since I was at school and stood outside in the street in Oxford’s High Street, shaking a tin, so this is merely continuing a personal tradition."

Chairman of the Whitecliffs Talking Newspaper Tony Wells was delighted at the announcement.

He said: "When I approached Miss Margolyes she immediately said that she would be pleased to be our patron. We are extremely lucky to have such an ideal person, a splendid model for our reading and a great asset to our charity."

The Whitecliffs Talking Newspaper provides recordings of the Dover, Deal and Sandwich news, magazine articles, interviews and local information.

Stories are taken from the East Kent Mercury and Dover Mercury and the charity has more than 30 volunteer readers, recording engineers, producers and editors.

* For more information see the websitehttp://www.whiteliffstalkingnewspaper.org.uk/