One of the stars of the hit TV series Red Dwarf recently made a visit to Mansfield Woodhouse for a birthday surprise for one of his biggest fans.

Danny John - Jules, the actor who played “Cat” in Red Dwarf went to see Sarah Currie, who lives at Castle Street, after meeting her at a Red Dwarf convention in 1998. At the convention Sarah told Danny about the work of Stepping Stones (Notts), a charity who were raising funds to build 12 flats for people with learning disabilities. The flats at Castle Street was completed in 2002. Nottingham Community Housing Association (NCHA) have managed and provided the support staff since 2002.

After learning about Stepping Stones (Notts) Danny helped with fundraising. When he discovered he was to perform in “Playboy of the West Indies” at Nottingham Playhouse Danny couldn’t resist the opportunity to go and meet the people he had helped.

The tenants who live at Castle Street were very excited on hearing of the visit and decided to lay on the great British tradition of afternoon tea, so that Danny could grab a bite to eat before returning to the theatre. Danny spent nearly two hours at the project talking to the tenants and looking around the flats, garden and clubroom. Parents of the tenants and staff all agreed it was very generous of him to come all the way out to Mansfield Woodhouse to see them.

Sarah said “We’ve been best friends since the first time we met. Danny remembers everyone’s name, is very kind-hearted and a laid-back guy. He will go out of his way to do anything for you. I was chuffed to bits that Danny could come and visit Castle Street and I also showed him my flat which he was very impressed with.”