Happy Birthday JC - 9 Year Old Inspired To Come Up With Amazing Way To Raise Funds for Cerebral Palsy Children

Lily Wares, from Towcester 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!

Happy Birthday JC can be downloaded now from iTunes

https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/happy-birthday-jc-feat.-tony/id936857738

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 too! Her Christmas song ‘Happy Birthday JC’ is being re-released for this Christmas to raise funds for Tree of Hope to support more children to access life changing treatment and surgery.

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.”

Kat Stephens of Aspire Arts Academy said: “This is such a fun song for children to sing at Christmastime, they can easily learn the words and sing their little hearts out! In most conventional Christmas songs children sing backing vocals, supporting famous recording artists, but this time it’s a role reversal as Tony Hadley and Paul Young wanted to support this great song by adding their vocals to the children's lead vocals.

"Buy your child a truly wonderful gift this Christmas, a song they love and can enjoy singing every year, whilst helping to raise money for children that need help and support.”

The recording took place at the Fitdog Recording Studio in Gayton, Northamptonshire.

The official release date is Monday 1st December 2014 and by buying the single on that day the public will give it the greatest opportunity to chart, reaching millions of listeners and raising money for sick and disabled children not just this Christmas but every single Christmas in the future.

The song “Happy Birthday JC” is available 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”.

See photos of recording

https://www.flickr.com/photos/tree-of-hope/sets/72157648623756537/

Happy Birthday JC can be downloaded now from iTunes

https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/happy-birthday-jc-feat.-tony/id936857738