TV Star John Nettles Goes Into Overdrive For Arthritis Charity
Published: 1st May 2003
The star of the popular television detective series, Midsomer Murders, was at MG Rover Group's Longbridge plant in Birmingham today (April 30) to present a Rover 45 Connoisseur to medical research charity the Arthritis Research Campaign (arc).
John, who plays DCI Tom Barnaby, drives a Rover in the long-running ITV series.
"You don’t need to be a detective to work out why I'm happy to support the Arthritis Research Campaign," said John. "More than seven million people of all ages suffer from painful arthritis in this country - it's an enormous problem. But thanks to the research carried out by this charity, the future looks a lot brighter."
The car, donated to arc by MG Rover Group, will be first prize in the charity's annual Grand Draw, which raises more than £100,000 each year to fund research throughout the UK. The charity spends around £20m a year in total, including £3m on projects in Birmingham.
Fergus Logan, the charity's chief executive said: "It's a really generous gesture of MG Rover to donate this fantastic car to our charity. Let's hope whoever wins the car drives it with as much due care and attention as John does in Midsomer Murders."
Kevin Howe, MG Rover Group's chief executive added: "I'm delighted to offer our support to the Arthritis Research Campaign with the top prize of a Rover 45 1.8-litre Connoisseur. The charity is a wholly worthwhile cause, and we feel confident that our support will help to boost funds, which depends entirely on public donations to fund its extensive research programme."
The Arthritis Research Campaign (arc) is the fourth largest
medical research charity in the UK.
