British actor Philip Goldacre, who recently starred in the film Tomb Raider Ascension, has paid tribute to his friend Anne Bradley, who passed away on March 28, by offering a donation to the Malta Hospice Movement.
Mr Goldacre said he had made the donation in memory of the woman he describes as a "really remarkable lady" and "a force of nature".
Ms Bradley was a director at the British Council, in recognition of which she was awarded the MBE, and was also special projects co-ordinator at St James Cavalier during her stay in Malta.
The reason Mr Goldacre decided to make a donation to the Hospice Movement was primarily due to "Anne's personality. She was the kind of lady who wanted to make the best of everything," says the man who has also appeared in episodes of the British police series, The Bill.
"Her view, I believe, would be: buy flowers that would look nice on the day, but wilt, or use the money to do something useful to help others. As the Malta Hospice Movement has been so good to Anne and her family, I decided it would be better to make a donation in her memory, which would be used to help others," Mr Goldacre explained.
In paying tribute to Ms Bradley, he also sang the praises of the Hospice Movement, saying it did much more than help people manage pain: it also provided advice on nutrition, exercise and helped patients manage their lives at every stage of treatment.
In an e-mail to the movement, Mr Goldacre said it was a "wonderful example of human generosity of spirit and altruism" and expressed his gratitude for the "tremendous help, care and encouragement you have provided Anne during her illness".
"Anne had the capacity to get things done and find solutions almost before anybody else had begun to understand the problem. She also had the most amazing network of friends and contacts at every level of Maltese society. She built this network because she had the tremendous ability to make everyone she met feel special."
Mr Goldacre, whose latest film role was that of Lord Richard Croft, Lara Croft's father, but who also teaches people to drive 44-tonne trucks, met Ms Bradley through his friendship with her sister Polly March, who left her home in Wiltshire to spend the last 16 months caring for her sister.
Ms March and Mr Goldacre have worked together as actors in several shows in the UK, first meeting as fellow members of the Arts Centre Group, an organisation for Christians professionally involved in the arts in London.
Ms March then came over to Malta for an extended stay and invited Mr Goldacre and other friends to spend some time with her in the flat she rented in St Julian's. It was then that he was introduced to Anne and her other sister, Elizabeth.
Mr Goldacre's lasting memory of Ms Bradley is arriving at the airport late one night to stay with her in Lija. "I intended to spend the days diving, but arrived with an extremely heavy cold, which I was doing my best to ignore. Anne and her husband picked me up, drove me home and, within minutes, Anne had served up a beautiful meal, which she had obviously worked very hard to prepare so that it was perfect when I arrived."
He adds: "At the same time, I go to a party with her and she knows everybody. She introduced me once to this very nice chap called Edward. It was only a couple of days later that I discovered he was the Prime Minister!"
Most of Mr Goldacre's memories of Ms Bradley are what he calls "the little things: laughter, great company and a smile that could light up a small town. And that will stay with me forever!"