Brain tumour survivor, seven, hopes for ‘dream come true’ Christmas number one
By Emily Chudy, PA
A seven-year-old girl is making a bid for UK Christmas number one to raise money for a brain tumour charity.
Lyra Cole from Highbridge, Somerset, is releasing a cover of Shakin’ Stevens’ Merry Christmas Everyone after beating Stormzy in the official download charts with her Christmas single in 2019.
Lyra said: “It was so exciting recording and promoting my Christmas song last year and I came so close to making it to number one.
“It would be a dream come true if it happened this time but most of all I just want to raise lots of money for Brain Tumour Research and help other families like mine.”
Lyra was five months old when she had a brain tumour “the size of an orange” successfully removed.
She then underwent a second procedure the following year, this time to restore her sight after struggling to see.
Brain Tumour Research, which will receive all proceeds from the single, said that Lyra has a “story of hope”, but that “many others are not so fortunate”.
Lyra received help in recording her Christmas single from her aunt Jessie Hawkes, creative director of media company The Digital Ladder.
The video, which was filmed on The Grand Pier in Weston-Super-Mare, features Lyra and her three-year-old brother Charlie running around the arcade dressed up as elves.
Ms Hawkes said: “Lyra is such a superstar. We were so proud of her success in the Christmas charts last year and she had so much fun in the process, we thought why not do it all again?
“It’s been a tough year for so many people and we hope that Lyra’s track will bring joy. It represents a story of hope, as she has overcome so much in her short life.”