The Queenswood community was immensely shocked and saddened at the news of Helen McCrory’s passing on Friday 16 April 2021.

Helen, who was awarded an OBE for her services to drama in 2017, discovered her passion for acting as a pupil at Queenswood in the 1980s.

After studying at Drama Centre London, she went on to enjoy a phenomenal career as a stage and screen actor. She was fêted for her award-winning performances in Medea, Trelawney of the Wells and The Deep Blue Sea in the West End, and for numerous film and TV roles, including Cherie Blair in The Queen, Narcissa Malfoy in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, and Polly Gray in Peaky Blinders.

As patron of Queenswood’s theatre – our studio theatre is named in her honour – she was generous and compassionate, assisting several aspiring performers with auditions for scholarships at Q and drama schools. She was the guest of honour at our 120th anniversary celebrations at the Barbican in 2014.

In 2020, Helen founded the charity FeedNHS along with her husband Damian Lewis, raising millions of pounds to provide hot meals for NHS workers during the pandemic.

Mr Kelley, Head of Publicity and Teacher of Drama at Queenswood, spoke to BBC Three Counties about Helen’s commitment to Q Drama and her amazing charitable work.