Fundraising charity single was inspired by courageous children

BY JACKIE KEOGH

A SONG that speaks directly to the parents of seriously ill children has been released as a fundraising CD.

Singer songwriter Claire Hayden said it was a little boy called Mark ‘who showed extreme courage’ when he was receiving treatment that inspired her to write the song.

Claire – who lives in Bantry with her husband, Steven, and two sons Cian and Michael – wanted to show her support for children like Mark, and their parents.

Since the song Goodnight, was posted on Facebook, Claire said she has been inundated with emails from parents who say the song feels as if it was written specially for them.

The CD was officially launched at a public event in The Mariner in Bantry on Friday, August 26th and all of the money raised will go directly to BUMBLEance – the children’s ambulance.

BUMBLEance was established by Tony and Mary Heffernan who lost their only two children, Saoirse and Liam, to Batten disease. They were inspired to an ambulance that would attract and entertain children instead of filling them with dread.

The ambulance is top of the range, fully equipped and comes with highly trained medical staff, but for children the fun stuff comes with the extras – the play stations embedded in the ceiling, the TV, and the Ipad mini.

BUMBLEance also provides ‘angel trips’ for children who are terminally ill. It means these children can – under proper medical supervision – come home from hospital or go on a family outing one last time. Claire, who works as a special needs assistant at Coomhola National School, said she is delighted that her song, which was recorded with the kind assistance of Brian Casey of Wakefield Recording Studio, will raise money for BUMBLEance and sick children everywhere.