Bristol Evening Post – 15th March 2004

Lorraine’s day in the life of a pop star
Talented Lorraine Done from Lawrence Weston was thrilled to experience a day in the life of a pop star after she made a successful bid at a charity auction.

She paid £655 for the chance to record her favourite 14 songs on to a CD at a professional recording studio.

A local radio station’s on-air auction raised a staggering £80,000 selling off items and experiences donated by companies.

Lorraine said: “There it was, the opportunity of a lifetime, a chance to make my own CD.

“ I had only just tuned in. It was a spur-of-the-moment decision, really, and I just went for it.

“ I phoned up and the DJ put me right on the spot by asking me to sing, so I took a deep breath and sand Dido’s White Flag.”

Lorraine put in a bid of £500 for the recording session which she thought had been successful – until a bidding war broke out.

She said: “I then realised I was in a bit of a battle with two others. I’d thought it was in the bag and then in the last second a third bidder phoned through so I upped my price once again and the day was finally mine.”

Her prize was donated by Yellow Shark recording studio in Cheltenham.

Vanessa Greenfield, from the studio, said: “Lorraine has a really great voice and we were very impressed with her on the day.

“ Even some of the most experienced artists can get ‘mic-fright’ but she quickly relaxed into the environment of a professional studio and worked well with our in-house sound engineer to produce some very pleasing results during the session.”

The radio station, GWR FM, has its own charity, Bristol Kidz, and runs fund-raising events throughout the year to boost the charity’s total.

Grants are handed out by the charity to organisations working with children and young people across GWR’s listener area.

Staff at GWR are already planning charity events for next year to raise funds for Bristol Kidz, including collecting old mobiles, which can be recycled for cash.

“ To apply for a grant from Bristol Kidz contact the Greater Bristol Foundation by calling 989 7700 or log on to their website www.ghf.org.uk and fill in the online application form.

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