edp24 #8

Harry Potter fever shows no signs of abating for Dereham actor Chris Rankin. Turning up at the stage door during the interval of Tuesday's performance of Honk! at the town's Memorial Hall were three Potter fans from the Philippines.

They had arrived on a mission on behalf of their Las Vegas-based Philip-pino friend Beslynn Patricio to present gifts to Chris, who plays Percy Weasley in the movies.

Beslynn, 27, found Chris's website on the internet. On it, he men-tioned his starring role this week with Dereham Operatic Society Youth Theatre Company, and this led Beslynn to contact her old schoolfriend Rancy Espares, 26, one of the growing band of Philippino nurses working for the NHS at a hospital in Birmingham. Could she take some presents to Chris and get his autograph?

Rancy had no idea where Dereham was � but she knew a girl who did: fellow nurse Jojill Arejola, who is working at Gorleston's James Paget Hospital.

And on Tuesday Rancy and another nurse friend met up with Jojill at Dereham.

Chris signed Honk programmes for the trio, who declared the trip well worthwhile � despite having to leave the show before the end to catch the bus back to Yarmouth.

Article taken from EDP 24.