We Had A Wish - Olivia’s ‘extra’ special wish at ‘Waterloo Road’

12 year old Olivia was having a great time during her wish to visit the set of BBC drama ‘Waterloo Road’ – and then the day got even better.....

This particular school-day was a lot more exciting than usual for Olivia, because this time she was off to the set of BBC school drama ‘Waterloo Road’ – for her acting debut!

Actress and ‘Waterloo Road’ star Angela Griffin has been a good friend to Make-A-Wish, and she helped get the ball rolling to make this special wish happen for Olivia, who’s fighting Cystic Fibrosis and comes from Dronfield Woodhouse in Derbyshire.

Olivia and her parents were collected from their home in a stretch limousine and taken to the set of ‘Waterloo Road’ in Rochdale, Lancashire. On arrival they were taken on a full tour of the set, before Olivia was whisked off to Hair and Make-up in preparation for the highlight of the day. Olivia was not only visiting the set – she was going to be in the show! She was given the role of a background artiste and even had a line to deliver. Olivia, an aspiring actress, couldn’t have been happier.

After all the excitement of appearing in her favourite show, it was time to sit down for lunch with the cast. Jason Done, who plays Tom Clarkson, and Philip Martin Brown (who plays Grantly Budgen, among others), were on hand to share with her some tricks of the acting trade.

Olivia said: “My wish was perfect – the best day of my life! Acting is all I want to do and to be able to have this experience and visit the set of a real TV programme has been so amazing.”

Olivia’s Mum, Sarah, said: “It was such a brilliant day. Olivia was buzzing when she was on the set and didn’t give her illness a second thought all day. This was something we could never have done ourselves – thank you so much, Make-A-Wish.”

Make-A-Wish was only able to grant this wish because of the generous support of people and companies around the UK. Please help us to grant more magical wishes by making a donation today