A 94-year-old great great grandmother has been given a “new lease of life” through singing with a choir which is hoping to make this year’s Christmas Number One spot with their rendition of The Living Years to raise money for London hospices.

Lillian John spends time at St Joseph’s Hospice respite ward in Mare Street because of her cancer diagnosis, and is part of its choir along with 19 other patients, nurses, physios, admin staff and volunteers.

They have teamed up with 18 other London hospices in the ensemble lead by Paul Carrack, who was the lead vocalist on the original 1991 hit.

Lillian said: “St Joseph’s Hospice has been like a family to me, and now I feel like I am part of a huge extended family with 300 people all wanting to give something back to these wonderful places.”

All profits from the sale of the single will be divided between the hospices involved, helping them to support those reaching the end of their lives, and their families.

‘The Living Years’ by The London Hospices Choir and Paul Carrack will be released on December 16, and is available to pre-order on iTunes and Amazon.