Cliff Richard sends video message of support to girl, six, who survived a brain tumour and hopes to hit the Christmas no. 1 with her version of When A Child Is Born… but needs a little prompting to know who he is
- Lyra Cole, from Highbridge in Somerset, had emergency 11-hour surgery
- She is now raising money for Brain Tumour Research with a charity single
- It has already surpassed grime star Stormzy on the Amazon download chart
The Christmas number one spot is the most coveted chart position of the year, fought over by rising pop stars and veteran performers alike.
But a six-year-old brain tumour survivor is hoping to blow away the competition with her recording of When A Child Is Born which has been taken to the nation’s heart.
Lyra Cole, from Highbridge in Somerset, was five months old when she had emergency 11-hour surgery to remove a tumour the size of an orange from her brain.
Six-year-old Lyra Cole, from Highbridge in Somerset, survived a brain tumour as a baby and now hopes to reach the Christmas Number One with her version of When A Child Is Born…
And now she is raising money for Brain Tumour Research with a charity single, which has already surpassed grime star Stormzy on the Amazon download chart.
The song originally hit the Christmas number one spot 43 years ago when it was recorded by Johnny Mathis, and became popular again in 2003 when it was re-recorded by Sir Cliff Richard.
Lyra’s parents, Ellie Hawkes and Dan Cole, have told of her excitement after Sir Cliff showed support for her in a video on BBC Breakfast.
She was five months old when she had emergency 11-hour surgery to remove a tumour the size of an orange from her brain
Miss Hawkes, 28, said: ‘It was so surreal. Before Lyra watched it I showed her a picture of him and I said, “This is Cliff, do you know who he is?”
Then when we played it to her she was so excited.’ In the video message, Sir Cliff, 79, told Lyra that she is a ‘fantastic singer’, adding: ‘I hope your record goes straight to number one, that’s where it should be.’
Both parents, who also have Lyra’s little brother Charlie, three, say they have been ‘overwhelmed’ by Lyra’s success.
Miss Hawkes said: ‘It started as just a way to raise awareness and a bit of money, because we have always wanted to give back to Brain Tumour Research.’
Lydia’s single is currently at the top of the Amazon downloads charts and could make the official singles chart Christmas top ten, which will be announced
Although Lyra’s recovery from her surgery went well, within six months her parents were back in hospital where they were told she had a cyst in her eye.
Fortunately, her second surgery was also a success.
Lyra said she had ‘a lot of fun’ recording her single in a studio in London with her aunt Jessie – her mother’s sister.
She said: ‘It was great… It makes mummy cry, because I’m so cute.’
And when asked how she felt about receiving a video message from Sir Cliff, Lyra beamed and gave a thumbs up.
The single is currently at the top of the Amazon downloads charts and could make the official singles chart Christmas top ten, which will be announced.