GOSH and UCLH Choir takes to Britain’s Got Talent stage with Sydnie Christmas as Simon Cowell calls for public to back Children’s Cancer Centre appeal

The Great Ormond Street Hospital and UCLH Choir took to the Britain’s Got Talent stage on Saturday night alongside Sydnie Christmas in a powerful performance that brought the spirit of Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) to a primetime national audience.

The choir - made up of hospital staff and volunteers - performed the iconic power ballad You’re the Voice with former Britain’s Got Talent winner Sydnie and received a standing ovation, including from Great Ormond Street Hospital Charity (GOSH Charity) patron Simon Cowell.

To mark this performance, GOSH Charity is inviting the nation to support the future of children’s cancer care through its Build it. Beat it. appeal to help build a new Children’s Cancer Centre at GOSH, which Simon encouraged the public to support ahead of the choir’s performance.

Designed with children and families at its heart, the state-of-the-art new facility will drive transformation in children’s cancer care and help beat cancer for more children.

Skye, 14, who was treated for cancer at GOSH, received a special invitation to the Britain’s Got Talent semi-finals, and said watching the choir perform was a “dream come true”.

The teenager was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, a rare type of blood cancer, when she was 10 years old. After undergoing two-and-a-half years of cancer treatment, Skye had her last chemotherapy and rang the end of treatment bell in March 2024.

Skye said: “To go from fighting cancer for many years at GOSH, and then to now, being at the Britain’s Got Talent semi-finals and watching the wonderful GOSH and UCLH Choir, it’s a dream come true and grateful is truly an understatement.”

Simon said: “It was amazing to see the GOSH Choir perform tonight, they were brilliant and to see them on the show with Sydnie was genuinely amazing.

“As a very proud patron of GOSH Charity, I visited the hospital last year and was blown away by what I saw. I saw so much kindness and hope.

“Meeting the kids and families is something you never forget. And I got an opportunity to meet so many of the nurses and doctors who do this unbelievable work, and I saw their commitment first hand. It brings home just how important it is to give these children the very best chance.

“GOSH Charity is raising funds to build a new Children’s Cancer Centre at GOSH, which will help beat cancer for more children. I met one of the doctors who is doing so much groundbreaking research, and I really mean this, it will make a difference.”

Sydnie’s performance came after the singer visited the hospital earlier this week, where she met patients, families and staff and heard about plans for the new Children’s Cancer Centre.

She said: “I was honoured to sing with the GOSH and UCLH Choir this evening. Earlier this week, I was fortunate enough to visit the hospital, and it was incredible to meet the staff and children and see first-hand the fantastic work that everyone at the hospital does.

“It’s clear that the new Children’s Cancer Centre will help transform children’s cancer care and seeing the impact it will have on the children I met this week really brought that to life.”

Sarah Bissell, deputy director of relationship fundraising at GOSH Charity, added: “It’s been incredible to see the GOSH and UCLH Choir take to the Britain’s Got Talent stage with Sydnie. Their performance shines a light on the remarkable people who work at GOSH.

“We hope this moment inspires people to support our Children’s Cancer Centre appeal and the vital work being done at the hospital.”

To support GOSH Charity’s Build it. Beat it. appeal or to find out more, visit gosh.org.

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For more information, please contact:
Katy Clifton, Senior External Comms Officer at GOSH Charity: katy.clifton@gosh.org

Images of the GOSH Choir performance can be found on Shutterstock.

About Great Ormond Street Hospital Charity (GOSH Charity)   

Great Ormond Street Hospital Charity (GOSH Charity) stops at nothing to help give seriously ill children childhoods that are fuller, funner and longer. For the hundreds of children from all over the UK who are treated by Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) every day, for children with rare or complex illnesses everywhere, for this generation and all those to come.

GOSH has been transforming the lives of seriously ill children since opening its doors in 1852 and has always depended on charitable support. GOSH Charity funds groundbreaking research into children’s health, cutting-edge medical equipment, child-centred medical facilities and the support services children and families going through the toughest journey of their lives urgently need.  But there is so much more we need to do.

Together with our supporters, we can give seriously ill children the best chance, and the best childhoods, possible. Because we believe no childhood should be lost to serious illness.

Join us, visit gosh.org today.