News: #CheerUpCharlie and West End friends release You Will Be Found charity single

Watch new charity single “You Will Be Found”, featuring ten year-old Charlie Kristensen, aka #CheerUpCharlie. Released to raise money for youth charity The Diana Award, and to tie in with the start of National Anti-Bullying Week, the single stars numerous stage and screen stars including Wendi Peters, Layton Williams and Michael Xavier, with Iain Armitage, Michael Ball, Rufus Hound, and Faye Tozer amongst many more famous faces.

All proceeds for the video will be in aid of The Diana Award, with an additional JustGiving fundraiser for people to donate more if they wish to support the #CheerUpCharlie Anti-Bullying campaign further. 

Charlie Kristensen won over the hearts of the West End theatre industry and the public last year and hit the national headlines when, encouraged by his performance coach West End performer Jacqueline Hughes, he launched his #CheerUpCharlie campaign to help others, channelling his own traumatic experiences of being bullied for his love of musical theatre, and the support he received from hundreds of performers from the West End, Broadway and even Hollywood who identified with Charlie’s story.

Subsequently Charlie was trained as an Ambassador by The Diana Award which runs the UK’s leading anti-bullying programme.  He said: “It is an amazing feeling to have a single released and especially one that is so spectacular and sincere. I want people to associate the single with hope, determination and strength especially at this current time. I want everyone to recognise this song and for it to help people understand life isn’t perfect, we aren’t perfect but we are amazing just the way we are.”

Tessy Ojo, CEO of The Diana Award, said: “We are incredibly grateful to Charlie and all his West End Friends for their support.  Charlie’s courage in the face of his own bullying experience is an inspiration to us and the thousands of young people who will hear about his story. He reminds us daily how important it is to do the right thing, not the easy thing.  He is a fantastic Anti-Bullying ambassador and everyone at The Diana Award is proud of him.”

Singing alongside Charlie on the single is Daniel Boys (Nativity), Matthew Croke (Aladdin), Alice Fearn (Wicked), Lyndsey Gardiner (The Phantom of the Opera), Adrian Hansel (Hairspray), Jacqueline Hughes (Mary Poppins), Melissa Jacques (Everybody’s Talking About Jamie), Caroline Kay (The Space Between), Nathaniel Morrison (Waitress), Nadim Naaman (The Phantom of the Opera), Wendi Peters (Coronation Street), Zizi Strallen (Mary Poppins), Layton Williams (Bad Education) and Michael Xavier (Sunset Boulevard).

Messages of support seen in the video are from Iain Armitage (Young Sheldon), Danny Hatchard (EastEnders), Michael Ball (Les Misérables), Nina West (Ru-Paul’s Drag Race), Mark Evans (Mrs Doubtfire on Broadway), Jason Leigh Winter (Frozen), Hannah Waddingham (Game of Thrones), Louise Dearman (Wicked), Giles Terera (Hamilton), Maiya Quansah-Breed (SIX The Musical), Charlie Stemp (Mary Poppins), Faye Tozer (Everybody’s Talking About Jamie), Sierra Boggess (The Phantom of the Opera on Broadway), Grace Mouat (SIX The Musical), Rufus Hound (Everybody’s Talking About Jamie), Wicked’s Sophie Evans and Alice Fearn, the West End cast of Matilda The Musical, West End cast of Come From Away, West End cast of The Phantom of the Opera, Broadway cast of Be More Chill, West End cast of Hamilton, West End cast of Aladdin, UK Tour of Annie The Musical, UK Tour of Kinky Boots, Off-West End cast of The View Upstairs, West End cast of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and West End cast of Dear Evan Hansen.

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