Musicians record Christmas album in aid of Gullane girl Poppy Smith hospitalised by rare illness

Poppy Smith, of Gullane, has been in Edinburgh’s Sick Kids since September following a severe reaction to a cold-like virus.

Friends, family, village residents and even strangers have done their bit to raise more than £58,000, which will be spent on specialist equipment for the youngster, who has been diagnosed with acute flaccid myelitis, a rare condition which affects the nervous system.

READ MORE: Community rallies to help Poppy

Among those helping raise thousands of pounds are Gullane dads Orlando Mason, James Ingham and Martin White – who all have children at the village’s primary school, which Poppy attends – who have created a special festive CD.

The four-song CD, which is also available as a download, includes the Christmas carols O Holy Night and Silent Night, as well as the crooner classic Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas.

But potentially the show stealer is a version of Jingle Bells – featuring hundreds of Poppy’s school friends.

Orlando is a classically-trained bass who has performed with opera companies and orchestras across Europe.

He said: “James and I were at a mutual friend’s Christmas party earlier this month and, after a few drinks, we found ourselves jamming through some classic Christmas tunes at the piano.

“The next day, it occurred to me that it might be fun to record a few songs, particularly if we could do a little bit to help the Team Poppy campaign. It’s a great cause and has had a real impact on the local community.”

It has been a busy last few days for the trio, who have been putting the CD together.

Pianist James, who is also the guitarist of indie band Hamfatter – who were backed by Peter Jones on the BBC show Dragons’ Den – added: “At first when Orlando suggested recording a festive CD I assumed he meant in time for Christmas next year.

“The idea of arranging, rehearsing, recording, mixing, mastering, manufacturing and selling a CD in less than a fortnight seemed pretty optimistic.

“But we’ve seen how much Team Poppy has been able to do in just a few weeks already, so we decided to go for it.

“Everyone loves Orlando’s voice and I knew that Martin had the necessary skills and attitude to make the recording happen in time for Christmas, so why not?

“And then I suggested getting the entire primary school to sing on one of the tracks too, just to keep things challenging!”

All proceeds from the CD sales and downloads will go to Team Poppy, with the CD on sale from The Old Smiddy, Gullane, and Co-op stores in Gullane and North Berwick, as well as Norden, on North Berwick’s High Street, and downloads from www.facebook.com/teampoppyxmas from today (Thursday).

Producer Martin said: “The tracks have come out sounding fantastic and we’ve been blown away by the support we’ve had in Gullane, East Lothian and beyond.

“DTP Printers in Edinburgh kindly donated the CD sleeves and we’ve had free use of the baby grand piano at Gullane Village Hall. We even borrowed sleigh bells from the kids’ music box at Gullane Playgroup!

“The CDs and downloads are getting rave reviews, so we’re all absolutely delighted.”

Poppy’s dad, Mark, said: “We have been completely blown away by the support for Team Poppy.

“The continued fundraising efforts, donations and messages sent to Poppy have been overwhelming and we cannot say thank you enough.

“We have been so touched by the Christmas Carol CD in particular.

“We feel very lucky to live in such an amazing community.

“Poppy is working very hard on her rehabilitation. She is growing in strength but remains on a ventilator and needs a lot of support with her mobility.

“We are hoping the fundraising will allow Poppy to get the equipment she will need and hopefully assist us in getting her home as soon as possible.”

To donate to Team Poppy, go to justgiving.com/crowdfunding/teampoppy