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A choir singer from Pontllanfraith has been involved in a number-one single raising awareness of breast cancer.

Debra Martin is a member of the Change+Check campaign choir, and sang on the single ‘Golden’ featuring Joss Stone – which topped the iTunes chart last month.

The song was written in memory of Hannah Hawkins, a producer on ITV’s Lorraine show, who passed away last month with breast cancer.

The choir performed on the Lorraine Show on Friday December 15.

After the show, Debra said: “It’s been a very emotional morning because we had Tom Hawkins [Hannah’s widower] come in with their baby Rory. We all had tears.

“The emotions are still very raw since it happened so recently. But we tried to sing our best for the charity.”

The choir is made up of 20 women, all of which were diagnosed with breast cancer. They had all been encouraged to check themselves for symptoms thanks to the Change+Check campaign.

Now, the choristers want to encourage as many women as they can to regularly check themselves for symptoms.

The campaign, launched in 2019, released a sticker with guidance on how women can check themselves, showing nine signs to identify breast cancer. 

Explaining why she joined the choir, Debra said: “About two years ago I was watching Lorraine and discovered I had a lump from following the Change+Check campaign.

“I managed to get a doctors appointment immediately. Early diagnosis is key and doctors and the NHS seem to be more concerned about this than I assumed.” 

She said: “Seventy-six women have identified their breast cancer from the campaign, and there are more we don’t know about.

“I want to get the message out to as many as I can because it really does make a difference.”

As part of her campaigning, Debra got in touch with Islwyn MP Chris Evans, who helped her get the campaign’s stickers put up in public areas across the borough, including ten leisure centres.

Debra wants to expand this to Cardiff, Newport and even Scotland next year. 

“We’re not stopping here,” she said. “We are all going to push to inform everyone in our area – I tell everyone to check themselves.”

When asked about the success of the single Golden, Debra said: “It was written for us and how we felt about our diagnosis.

“Even though we have our family’s support, you can still feel very much alone. But with the friendship, support and joy from singing in the choir, it has become a self-help group.

“Everyone in the choir is in the same boat but every diagnosis is different so we get to learn from each other.”

Debra expressed how she feels indebted to campaign founder Helen Addis, and everyone involved in creating the Change+Check campaign. 

She said: “Some of us may not be here if it wasn’t for them.

“We all feel that we have to live life to the fullest, and live for today because we may not have tomorrow.”

Golden is available to download for 99p, with all proceeds from the single going to the breast cancer charity Future Dreams.