Eastbourne youngster sings on Christmas charity single with ‘Promise Me’ star Beverley Craven

The single, called Christmas Day, was released on Friday November 29 and also features sing songwriter Julia Fordham and seventies super star Judie Tzuke.

Together with Beverley Craven, they are Woman to Woman, a super group formed in October last year, when the group released an album of the same name and launched an extensive UK tour.

The album was something of a success, reaching number 42 in the UK album’s chart, but, unlike that album, the proceeds from Christmas Day are all due to go to deaf children’s charity Auditory Verbal UK (AVUK), which helps teach deaf children to speak and hear with specialised audio verbal therapy.

They are also the charity responsible for supporting Sam, his family and all the other children who appeared on the track, equipping them with the skills and the therapy they would eventually need to sing their hearts out on the Christmas single. After being declared profoundly deaf at five weeks old, Sam was fitted with cochlear implants and taken to the AVUK offices in Bicester to start his therapy.

Eight years on, his parents are incredibly pleased with their son’s progress.

Talking about the charity, and what they have done for Sam’s dad Andrew said, “We never thought that for one moment that, as a profoundly deaf child, he’d be able to talk, let alone sing. We will be forever grateful to AVUK for what they’ve done.”

Sam and the other children form a choir, contributing to a part of the song recorded when Beverley invited all of the children and their families to her home recording studio one Sunday morning.

She said, “Some were a little shy and others, with the treats my partner provided, were a bit hyper, but, you know what, it was fun and their part on the track really does sound marvellous.”

Sam, who also loves to act, said, “I really enjoyed singing into a microphone. Beverley showed me how to do it. It is really kind of her to support AVUK.”

Christmas Day will be available to stream and download on all major services and Donations can be made on the AVUK website.