Singer and cancer survivor gets creative to help charity

Bianca Smith from Wolverhampton has written and recorded "Broken Glasses" as a way of raising £500 for The Christie Charity, having gone through cancer treatment and chemotherapy for osteosarcoma.

The 40-year-old mother-of-four said she was three months away from being declared cancer-free, having had to learn how to walk again due to the severity of the cancer around her knees.

Since then, she has also been voted Ms Wolverhampton 2022 in the UK's national pageant, saying she had entered as a way of boosting her mental health and not expecting to win, and wanted to inspire people going through difficult times.

She said: "The purpose is to help other mums in my situation and help people see that no matter what you're going through, you can still win the day.

"When I was diagnosed, that same day saw me go to a charity event and receive a standing ovation, then take off my ball gown and go back into hospital to have surgery the next day.

"You can't sit around and feel sorry for yourself as bad things will happen every day and life is a series of events, so you either sit there and cry or you get up and deal with it and find that there is a light at the end of the tunnel."

She said the title of the song was about breaking barriers and being a victim, but also being victorious at the same time, and said it was her ability to speak from experience that helped her to be creative.

She said: "I've been there and I've been through it and I know what it's like to not have support and be a single mum at the same time.

"The support I got from the charity proved to be a real help and I want to give something back through this."

To find out more and to make a donation, go to justgiving.com/crowdfunding/biancaakaqueenbeemswolvehampton2022.