9 Year Old Inspired To Come Up With Amazing Way To Raise Funds

43A Little Mount Sion, 4th - Lily Wares, from Towcaster in Northants, was desperate to raise funds for a life-changing operation that would enable her 5 year old brother Lewis to walk. After watching the movie ‘About A Boy’ in which Hugh Grant’s character is able to live off the proceeds of his father’s one-hit Christmas Song, Lily saw a way to help. All she needed was a Christmas song!

Lily started by enlisting the help of her Grandad, Stewart Blandamer. Stewart, is a songwriter who has had hits with Peter Frampton, Bonnie Tyler and Tom Jones among others. Lily encouraged Stewart to help pen the song. 

From that point the project snowballed! The producer Keith Bessey (10cc, Cliff Richard and many others) heard the song and was keen to get involved. With the help of the Aspire Arts Academy, the team produced an amazing song. 80s icons, Paul Young and Tony Hadley, also gave their support by adding vocals to the track. 

Lily’s Christmas song ‘Happy Birthday JC’ became a local hit! It helped raise funds for the Tree of Hope who were helping with the fundraising for her little brother Lewis’s Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy operation. 

That was two years ago. Lewis had the SDR operation which was a great success and can now walk. His quality of life has improved tremendously. 

Lily is determined to help other children walk too! Her Christmas song ‘Happy Birthday JC’ is being re-released for this Christmas to raise funds for Tree of Hope to allow more children to access the life changing SDR treatment.  

Jeremy Marris from Tree of Hope said “We are happy to have helped Lewis and his family access the SDR treatment that has made such a difference to his life. We are all inspired by Lily’s commitment and determination to help her little brother and we are grateful to all the people who helped put her Christmas song together and of course to the people who have purchased it. We hope that many more people will download the song this year and raise much needed funds to help other sick children.”   

The song “Happy Birthday JC” is available now to download from iTunes.  As one reviewer says “This little tune is not only catchy, the story behind it tugs the heart strings. … It’s a good cause, get behind it for Christmas, who knows it could be a hit”.

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Notes For Editors

Tree of Hope:
• Tree of Hope’s mission is to transform the lives of sick children and empower families.
• Tree of Hope offers hope to the families of sick and disabled children in the United Kingdom and Ireland who need specialist medical surgery, treatment, therapy and equipment in order to free them from suffering, giving a better quality to their young lives.
• Tree of Hope is passionate about improving the health and lives of sick and disabled children resident in the United Kingdom and Ireland by providing and assisting in the provision of grants to enable them to obtain medical surgery, treatment, therapies and equipment which would not otherwise be available to them.
• With the guidance and approval of the medical practitioners in our health care services, Tree of Hope will fund grants for medical treatment and therapy within the private sector of medicine in the UK. Tree of Hope will also fund surgery and treatment by medical specialists abroad, where the specific knowledge and facilities are available, in order to treat children as quickly as possible.
• Tree of Hope is registered in England and Wales as a charitable company limited by guarantee.
• Company No 8184807, charity No 1149254 and registered as a charity in Scotland No SCO42611
• Registered Office is at 43a Little Mount Sion, Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent TN1 1YP.

Aspire Arts Academy:
• Aspire Arts Academy is a new stage school in Towcester offering a range of classes in ballet, tap, modern, street and contemporary; as well as singing and acting classes. Classes run for both children and adults.
• All Aspire teachers have a genuine passion for performing, teaching and working with people to bring out their personal best, and hold an up to date CRB & Public Liability Insurance Certificate. 
• For further details please contact Kat Stephens, Director of Aspire Arts Academy, on kat@katstephens.com or 07870 565789.

Research Links:
Lewis Wares : http://www.treeofhope.org.uk/quite-a-catch/ 
Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy (SDR) : http://www.treeofhope.org.uk/support4sdr-party-at-daventry/
Tree of Hope : http://www.treeofhope.org.uk/
Tree of Hope (Twitter) : @treeofhopecc
Tree of Hope (Facebook) : https://www.facebook.com/treeofhope.childrenscharity 
Aspire Arts Academy : https://www.facebook.com/AspireArtsAcademy14
Happy Birthday JC (iTunes) : https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/happy-birthday-jc-feat.-tony/id936857738

Contact Information

Jeremy Marris

CEO

Tree of Hope

(44) 01892 535525

info@treeofhope.org.uk