Those of you crossing the pond for the Christmas season with Aer Lingus in the next few weeks will notice a new addition to the usual in-flight safety video, and a very nice one it is, too. The dotey Liam Neeson will be talking to us in the sky, telling us about UNICEF's Change for Good scheme which means you can get rid of all those irritating bits of small, foreign change without even leaving your seat and help a good cause at the same time.
Neeson came to town for a flying visit to launch the scheme at the Shelbourne Hotel yesterday with Gary McGann, chief executive of Aer Lingus; Brenda Walker of the SIPTU cabin crew committee which is supporting the scheme, and Maura Quinn of UNICEF. It was the first time Liam had been home in more than a year, but then unlike some charity figureheads, he takes his position very seriously.
He became special patron of the charity last year after learning about their work from UNICEF international special patron, Vanessa Redgrave, the mother of his wife Natasha Richardson, while the arrival of his own children Michael (born during the filming of Michael Collins, hence the name) and Daniel, also encouraged his interest in the children's charity.