Pixie Lott sings Songbird for WellChild Families
WellChild Ambassador, Pixie Lott took to Instagram TV today to sing a song requested by a member of the WellChild Family Tree after the pop star asked the online community for requests. You can watch the song below.
Lorraine, from Rochester, who cares for her 13-year-old son Oakley, chose the Eva Cassidy classic ‘Songbird’ as a song that has a special place in the family’s heart.
Oakley suffers from the rare Stevens Johnson Syndrome and won an Inspirational Child Award at last year’s WellChild Awards, where he met the charity’s Patron, The Duke of Sussex and The Duchess of Sussex. Like many of the vulnerable children supported by WellChild, Oakley and his family have been shielding since the Coronavirus outbreak began and expect to continue in lockdown for the foreseeable future despite changes to shielding rules.
Pixie, who is a supporter of WellChild and performed at the WellChild Awards ceremony last October, has been singing online requests throughout the pandemic, but says that this one is particularly poignant.
"Many of the families that WellChild support have had it really tough during this crisis. Much tougher than most of us can imagine. Please enjoy this cover and I hope it brings a little comfort into what has been a really challenging time."
Oakley’s Mum, Lorraine said: “We found out that Pixie was taking song requests through the WellChild Family Tree online support network and thought we’d send ours in. Songbird was playing when Oakley was born and will always have a special place in my heart. It is a special reminder of just how amazing Oakley was and is. It got me through a very difficult time. I was speechless to hear that Pixie had chosen it.
Families caring for children with serious health needs have felt very hidden and isolated during this crisis. This is a wonderful lift of the spirits. Not just for us, but for all the families within the WellChild Family network. Thank you, Pixie. This means the absolute world to us.”
Oakley’s family are members of the WellChild Family Tree network, an online support group that connects families caring for seriously ill children across the country for mutual support, advice and friendship. Families can join the support network at: https://www.wellchild.org.uk/connecting-families
During COVID-19, WellChild has been supporting families like Oakley’s through its online support network and by sourcing and distributing more than 70,000 items of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to shielding families across the UK.
