M&S Bank managers and M&S store managers from across the UK have collaborated with Claire House Children’s Hospice to produce a charity single to raise funds for the Wirral-based hospice, which is planning to build a second site in Liverpool to support increasing need for its services.
Claire House Children’s Hospice provides specialist nursing care and emotional support to seriously and terminally ill children and their families. The charity single – titled ‘Share a Smile’ – reflects its ethos of helping families to smile again when life couldn’t get any tougher.
Liam O’Hara, Head of Network and Bureaux, M&S Bank: said: “I have had the privilege of visiting Claire House Children’s Hospice and, no matter what type of treatment or support they’re providing, they always ensure families are able to share a smile together. The single really reflects this and highlights the absolutely amazing superhero-like quality of their wonderful nursing team.”
In the last six years, Claire House Children’s Hospice has seen an 84% increase in the number of children visiting the hospice, and a 132% increase in the number of bereaved families it cares for. Last year it also had 143 new referrals, the highest number it has ever seen in a year.
Beth Pochin, Partnership Manager, Claire House Children’s Hospice, added: “With every day that passes another family struggles to care for their terminally ill child without the support they so desperately need, we need to extend our services to ensure we can support everyone that needs our help.
“Every download of the ‘Share a Smile’ single will be making a huge difference to the many seriously ill children that we care for on a daily basis and supporting our plans to build a second site, enabling us to help even more families.”
Share a Smile’ is available via iTunes http://mandsbank.hsbc/iTunes and through the Claire House website www.clairehouse.org.uk/msbank-single with the proceeds going to Claire House Children’s Hospice. The website also features a video of Midge Ure, co-founder of Band Aid, commenting on the impact a charity single can have.
Share a smile is an original single written by Tom Prendergast, Ari Rannus, Lauren Shearing and Mat Slater with input from the children, families and team members of Claire House Hospice. The single features vocals from Catherine Rannus and was recorded at Claire House Children’s Hospice – featuring the voices of Claire House families, friends and colleagues – and recorded live at the M&S Bank Arena – featuring the voices of M&S Bank and M&S colleagues.
