"A choir of families with missing loved ones have joined forces with music stars from across the decades including Rick Astley, Chesney Hawkes, Nik Kershaw, Carol Decker, Lesley Garrett, Hayley Tamaddon, Jodie Prenger, Debra Stephenson, Kerry Ellis, Balsamo Deighton and G4on a charity single which they arehoping the public will get behind to help reach every missing child.
The original song, I Hope was inspired by the words of Kevin Gosden whose son Andrew went missing atthe age of14 in 2007 and highlights the heartbreak facing families with missing loved ones, and the often agonising hope of seeing them again. I Hope is available for pre-order now in Itunes, and will be released on Friday 20 May ahead of International Missing Childrens Day (25 May) with profits going to the charity Missing Peoples Find Every Child campaign.
An average of 140,000 children go missing in the UK every year and the campaign is aiming tobe able to reach every one of them. Missing People Choir members performing on the single include; Nicki Durbin, for whom the song also marks the 10th anniversary of the disappearance of her son Luke on 12 May, Peter Boxell, whose son Lee went missing in1988, Sarah Godwin, whose son Quentin went missing in May 1992, Ros Hodgkiss, whose daughter Alice Gross was missing for a month before she was tragically found to have been murdered, and Denise Horvath Allan, whose son Charles went missing in1989.
Nicki Durbin, mother of missing Luke said,
'Its a hugely emotional time for me and my family as we reach 10 years since we last saw my beautiful boy. It would be truly wonderful for families like mine if the public would put their support behind this single and show the world that Luke and all these missing children are not forgotten.The music video will also raise awareness of some of the UKs most long-term missing children including Madeleine McCann, Ben Needham, Kevin Hicks, Sandy Davidson and Katrice Lee.'
Chesney Hawkes said
'I feel honoured to be joining the Missing People Choir on this single. The power ofthe lyrics really brings home the struggle faced by those families living in limbo, hoping that their child will one day come back to them'.
Mystical chanting and Shamanic drumming - a Healing Summer Solstice Experience with West-End and Recording Star... STEVE BALSAMO, and Healing Therapist JEFF REES JONES (DHP). Transform your life, heal your past and realign your present to achieve your best possible future. In this Solstice Celebration we will be guided through a rebirth and a renewal process using ancient journeying techniques into the past to connect with our ancestors - then into the future - with gentle Shamanic drumming and soft chanting conducted by voice expert. Steve Balsamo. A wonderful night of exploration, and no singing voice is required.
