Clitheroe teenager to sing at London 2012 Olympics

Local singing sensation Shannon Bond, who is a pupil at Ribbledale High School, will join the 150-strong national singing team, the Youth Music Ensemble, which was formed following country-wide auditions to perform at the games.

The 15-year-old, who won third place in this year’s X-Factor-style talent contest “Grab: The Event”, held at The Grand in Clitheroe, was spotted by youth leader Mel Diack.

He suggested Shannon enter a talent competition being staged by the Lancashire Association of Clubs for Young People (LACYP), which she went on to win in December.

Following this success, Mel told Shannon about the Youth Music Voices – a major project providing 14 to 19-year-olds with the opportunity to join in and celebrate the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games through singing.

Shannon was put through to Youth Music Voices following a local audition held at the New Era Complex at Accrington, and following several further auditions she was recently elated to discover she had been offered a place in the ensemble.

Proud father Sean said: “Shannon has been singing since around the age of five, and hasn’t stopped since!”

He added that she regularly performs in events at school and competitions throughout the North West.

“The whole family is proud of Shannon and can’t wait to hear her sing during the Olympic period.”

By joining Youth Music’s national singing team, singers are given the chance to be part of London 2012 without having to be a sporting great. The 150 young singers that make up the Youth Music Voices Ensemble will produce vibrant and exciting music throughout the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad.

As well as developing Shannon’s singing to the highest standard, the Youth Music Voices Ensemble will also give her the chance to perform at a prestigious London location in the run up to the London 2012 Games.

Youth Music Voices is part of the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad, a programme that runs for four years from the end of the Beijing games in 2008 to the end of the Olympic and Paralympic Games in London in 2012.

Any local businesses or organisations that would like to sponsor Shannon to help cover the cost of her travel and accommodation in London can call her father Sean on 07858 772683 or 01200 538482.