Charity seeks choir for Britain's Got Talent entry

A charity is on the hunt for a choir to help them enter Britain's Got Talent after a supporter created a song to boost the organisation's profile.

Bear Force, based in Stoke-on-Trent, supports children's mental health with the aim of encouraging them to talk about their fears and concerns.

Founder Richard Bland was inspired to set up the organisation after the death of his son, who took his own life.

Now, the charity has been given a slot on the ITV talent show but needs a choir to sing the song.

Bland said the idea to create the song came about when an auctioneer who will be supporting October's event said a song would help encourage people to dig deep and help raise money for the cause.

One of the charity's ambassadors wrote the lyrics and they were then turned into a song using AI to bring the lyrics to life.

He was in "floods of tears" at first hearing the song, and said the words helped convey emotions he felt "every single day of the week".

In October, Bear Force will hold its second charity ball, and is always looking for ways to get let more people know about their work.

"We keep creating new events and new things to try, because we have to do something different – and Stoke-on-Trent needs Bear Force," Bland said.

Although the group had produced the first version of the song, it needed a proper choir in order to take part in the TV show.

"We're the next winners of Britain's Got Talent, I'm sure of it," Bland said.

Money raised by Bear Force would be used to create a set of rucksacks with emotional support teddy bears in them, to be distributed to schools in Stoke-on-Trent.

Every class in every primary school would receive one, Bland said, and inside would be a teddy, books, crayons, scribbling pads and bookmarks with teddy bear poems on.

"We'd like to think this is going to start a new craze around the schools – instead of taking Harry the hamster home, take your teddy bear with you."

"Take him on an adventure but write a little story about how you feel about taking your teddy bear on holiday, on an adventure."

It was part of starting a conversation, he said.

He now hopes he can replicate the success of Jeremy Clarkson's Hawkstone Choir and raise more awareness of his charity.

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