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Hospice choir hoping for Christmas number one

A nurse and a 94-year-old patient are among the singers hoping for a hit single this Christmas.
Hospice choir

A hospice nurse and a 94-year-old great-grandmother are among a choir hoping for a number one hit single this Christmas.


Members of the choir including 94-year-old Lillian John (front)

The London Hospices Choir recorded the song and music video at the famous Abbey Road Studios in London, under the direction of a Hollywood film director. 

The 300-strong choir come from 18 London hospices and are hoping to raise awareness and funds for the hospices.

Their song is a cover of the 1988 Mike and the Mechanics hit The Living Years, with former Mike and the Mechanics singer Paul Carrack once more performing lead vocals for the 2016 version.

United voices

Nurse Carolyne Barber, from St Joseph’s Hospice in Hackney, sings in the choir alongside 94-year-old Lillian John, a patient at St Joseph’s.

Ms Barber said: ‘We recorded the song at Abbey Road and we all felt like superstars for the day. 

‘It would be amazing to get to number one this Christmas, not just to raise much-needed funds for the hospice but also to raise awareness of the work we do at these wonderful hospices.’


Carolyne Barber (left) with fellow choir member

Mr Carrack said: ‘The Living Years has been an important song for me for many years, but this is the version that means the most. Recording it with this incredibly special group of people for such a worthwhile cause has created some kind of magic.’

Annabel Jankel, who co-directed the Hollywood film Super Mario Bros, shot the music video for the song.

The single is available to pre-order now on iTunes and Amazon ahead of its release on 16 December.

 

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