A charity which supports hundreds of children with life-threatening conditions in Norfolk is to benefit from the proceeds of this year's X Factor charity single.

The show's finalists have recorded a cover of the Rose Royce classic Wishing on a Star alongside past contestants JLS and One Direction.

Money raised by the single, which is launched tomorrow, will be donated to Together for Short Lives to ensure children who are unlikely to reach adulthood are able to make the most of their lives.

The proceeds will be sent to 50 organisations across the country, including East Anglia's Children's Hospices (EACH), which runs a centre at Quidenham, near Attleborough.

Graham Butland, chief executive of EACH, said: 'The X Factor single gives EACH an extraordinary and unique opportunity to tell the public about the issues that face children and the families we support.

'There are some excellent care services out there, but families need much more support as they tell us how difficult it can be to find the right support at the right time. We want to see well co-ordinated services which are available from the moment a child is diagnosed, wherever families want them, for as long as they are needed.'

EACH needs to raise about �4.8m in public donations each year to deliver its services, which include day care at home or at a hospice, support for families and specialist therapies.

Music mogul Simon Cowell, who is also a patron of Together for Short Lives, said: 'Whenever I spend time with these children and families I realise how many challenges they face.

'And when I visit the places that help them, like children's hospices, it is clear to see that they are an incredible lifeline to the families that use them.'

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