A SPECIAL single has been recorded to raise funds for Claire House.

The song - Share a smile – features M&S Bank managers and M&S store managers from across the UK and was produced in collaboration with the Clatterbridge-based children's hospice.

The organisation, which provides specialist nursing care and emotional support to seriously and terminally ill children and their families, is planning to build a second site in Liverpool to support increasing need for its services.

A hospice spokesperson said Share a smile reflects its ethos of helping families to smile again when life couldn’t get any tougher.

Liam O'Hara, head of network and bureaux for M&S Bank, said: "I have had the privilege of visiting Claire House Children's Hospice and, no matter what type of treatment or support they're providing, they always ensure families are able to share a smile together.

"The single really reflects this and highlights the absolutely amazing superhero-like quality of their wonderful nursing team."

In the last six years, Claire House has seen an 84% increase in the number of children visiting Claire House, and a 132% increase in the number of bereaved families it cares for.

Last year it also had 143 new referrals, the highest number it has ever seen in a year.

Beth Pochin, partnership manager for Claire House Children's Hospice, added: "With every day that passes another family struggles to care for their terminally ill child without the support they so desperately need, so we need to extend our services to ensure we can support everyone that needs our help.

"Every download of the Share a Smile single will be making a huge difference to the many seriously ill children that we care for on a daily basis and supporting our plans to build a second site, enabling us to help even more families."

Share a Smile is available via iTunes

http://mandsbank.hsbc/iTunes

and through the Claire House website www.clairehouse.org.uk/msbank-single and via iTunes with the proceeds going to Claire House Children's Hospice.

The website also features a video of Midge Ure, co-founder of Band Aid, commenting on the impact a charity single can have.