Retford Year 3 and 4 pupils hit the high notes to record songs for children's cancer charity

The original songs, Slippers So Red and Treasure So Gold, were written by Ashley Thompson, the school’s Director of Music. They were first performed by Year 3 and 4 pupils in the spring of 2023 as part of the school’s musical production, The Red Slippers. The show was written and directed by Teacher of Drama and Public Speaking, Victoria Evans, and retold an ancient Egyptian tale (the forerunner to our Cinderella story).

Following the show’s resounding success, it was suggested that a couple of the songs should be recorded to raise money for charity.

Neuroblastoma UK was nominated by a parent at the school, Tori Oldridge, who lost her brother, Matthew, to neuroblastoma in 1982 when he was just five-years-old. Neuroblastoma UK was set up by Tori’s parents in Matthew’s memory. The charity also holds significance for a teacher at the school who had recently lost a family member to the disease.

The young singers spent a day at Supanova Studios, a professional recording studio where some of the music industry’s biggest names (including Kaiser Chiefs, Yungblud and The Voice) have recorded - to bring their musical creations to life.

After extensive mixing, editing and mastering, the two original songs were released for download on Apple Music, Amazon and Spotify.

Pupils Francisca Leal and Rupert Davis are the lead vocalists alongside all the Year 3 and 4 Ranby House singers. In addition, there are 3 instrumentalists from Worksop College who feature on the recordings: Evangeline Chrispin (flute), Christian Aldridge (drums) and Max Poyner (guitar).

Both songs are now available for download. You can listen to them and download them here: Slippers So Red and Treasure So Gold

Ashley Thompson, Ranby House School’s Director of Music, says: “The children have thoroughly enjoyed this music project and it is wonderful to know that their efforts will be helping such a worthwhile cause. We are thrilled to support Neuroblastoma UK and hope that as many people as possible will download the tracks to help raise as much money as we can for the charity.”

Imogen Dalrymple, Senior Fundraising Co-ordinator at Neuroblastoma UK, says: “We are delighted that Ranby House School is supporting us in this beautifully creative way. Hopefully, lots of people will listen and download their tracks to not only appreciate the wonderful music, but also raise funds for Neuroblastoma UK. Doing so will help fund essential research into more effective and kinder treatments and a cure for this disease.”

Find out more about Neuroblastoma UK