Musicians pen powerful song to boost Ava’s fund
This is the moment that a brave tot battling cancer got to meet her music heroes behind a powerful charity song dedicated to her.
Ava Bolton was able to take time away from treatment to come face-to-face with the stars of ‘Little Things’ - an uplifting track that hopes to coin it in for her cancer appeal.
The courageous four-year-old, from Mauchline, is approaching the end of her gruelling treatment for stage four high risk neuroblastoma, a rare but very aggressive childhood cancer.
Ava is soon set for the States after £250,000 was raised last year so she can access a brand new trial treatment in the US.
The quarter-of-a-million fundraiser has continued to grow for the family who hope to jet off to New York, for the life-saving drug at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Centre.
‘Little Things’ was penned by bighearted music teacher Stevie Robson who formed his very own Ayrshire supergroup ‘after Sunfall’, with former pupil Connor Johnston, and pal and multiinstrumentalist Jamie Clark, helping to produce the track over six months.
Music teacher Stevie told the Post: “It was amazing to finally meet Ava after working for six months on ‘Little Things’.
“The response to the track has been great, we’re well over £200 in just under a week, with people also donating to Ava’s main fundraising page after listening to the song.
“Ava really came out of her shell and it’s incredible that she is going through so much but still has a huge smile on her face. “She is an inspiration for everybody.” Robert Burns Academy teacher Stevie, from Kilmarnock, also enlisted the help of a gospel choir who brought rousing backing vocals to the tune.
Stevie, a member of the Centrestage Gospel choir, got his pals in full voice.
One famous member of the singing group, Watt Nichol, once sold-out shows as a folk singer in Kilmarnock, and played alongside Billy Connolly in a folk group, as well as previously sharing a flat with the legendary Scots comedian.
And 88-year-old Watt - also a renowned motivational speaker - said it was an honour to be part of ‘Little Things’.
He said: “It was a real honour to be part of this. My heart just goes out to Ava and her parents, what they are going through must feel impossible.
“Sometimes all you can do is sing, and even at that I wish we could all do more for this lovely child.”
Centrestage was able to host the emotional meet-up, thanks to Fiona McKenzie OBE, founder of Centrestage, who is also the former music teacher of Stevie.
Stevie added: “It’s quite funny how its all worked out. Fiona taught me as her pupil at school, and then I taught Connor who provides the lead vocals for this.
“This is a real teacher and pupil connection running through it.
“We can’t thank Fiona enough for all her support with it.”
To donate to Ava’s Go Fund Me visit here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/ help-fund-avas-stage-4-neuroblastomatreatment