THREE brave young siblings from Evesham will make a live TV appearance tomorrow night when they sing as part of the BBC Children in Need Choir.
For the first time, the choir will feature children and young people from across all parts of the UK who have been supported by local projects funded by the annual appeal show.
Sisters Lucy, Chloe, and Alice Hitchcock have all faced unrelated health complications with their hearts.
The trio have found a haven of support at Heart Heroes, a charity for children and their families based in Gloucester.
Chloe, eight, was first to be diagnosed with a hole in her heart and has been under regular hospital care for her whole life.
Seven-year-old Alice has had five heart operations and is now fitted with a pacemaker. She is also using a feeding tube.
It was only once that Alice was diagnosed, that doctors looked at older sister Lucy, who is nine to discover that she too had a heart condition.
The sisters have spent much of their childhoods in and out of hospital, whether having treatment, check-ups or visiting one another. Heart Heroes is somewhere where they can go, have fun and build their confidence.
Thanks to funding from BBC Children in Need, it allows them all to join in with performing arts, drumming or creating, and helps them to understand that away from hospital there’s so much they can do.
Their mum Zoe spoke about how it helps her girls. “Heart Heroes is an excellent bridge between hospital and home and helps to support the girls’ social and emotional health. They all benefit from having friends with similar conditions and experiences to them. They feel seen, included and understood,” she said.
Led by renowned vocal coach and music arranger, Mark De Lisser, they will join a group of 19 children and young people to sing the anthemic Take That classic Never Forget.
The BBC Children in Need Choir is one of the programme’s most popular features. It will be supported by children from the Halle Youth Training Choir with the backing track recorded by the BBC National Orchestra of Wales.
Mark said: “Taking part in this project has been such an incredible experience. I’ve had such a brilliant time working with the children in rehearsals and getting to know their stories. They’re an inspirational group of individuals and I can’t wait to show viewers the magic we’ve been creating.”
BBC Children in Need currently funds 121 projects across the West Midlands to a total value of £7,112,779. It provides a range of services which support children and young people who are facing a variety of challenges, helping to make their lives lighter.
Readers can watch the sisters perform live with the BBC Children in Need Choir on BBC One and iPlayer from 7pm tommorrow Friday, November 15. See bbc.co.uk/pudsey for more information or to donate.
