Burnley schoolboy with rare condition thrilled to sing on stage with 'The X Factor' and 'The Voice' star Nathan Grisdale

Eleven-year-old Tommy Hartley spent weeks learning and rehearsing ‘Make The World Listen,’ a song penned by his favourite singer, Nathan Grisdale, who was an ‘X Factor’ finalist in 2018 and has also appeared on ‘The Voice.’ Nathan is due on tour this year after carving out a successful career as a singer/ songwriter.

Nathan’s moving track is about communication and the barriers that children with additional needs overcome daily, something that resonates with Tommy, a pupil at Broadfield Specialist School, as he has a rare condition called Albright Syndrome, a disorder that causes developmental delays and impacts the skin and hormones. Tommy kept telling his mum, Michaela Alpaslan, how he would love to be able to sing the song with his hero when the school staged its own ‘Broadfield’s Got Talent.’

Michaela said: “Tommy pestered me for weeks about it so I contacted Nathan and told him all about Tommy, never expecting to hear anything back. But he got in touch with the school and agreed to come. I cannot describe how emotional and proud I was watching Tommy perform with him, it was like a dream come true.

“I can’t thank Nathan enough for what he did for Tommy, he is an incredible person.”

A lively character with a great sense of humour and a real chatterbox, according to his mum, Tommy’s condition also means he often suffers from anxiety, so it was extra special for him to be brave enough to get up on stage. Also in the audience, proud as punch, was Michaela’s husband Enver and Tommy’s dad, Ash Hartley and his partner Sam. Tommy, who has two younger siblings, Reggie (five) and Ela, who is one-and-a-half, said his stage debut has inspired in him a dream to become a pop star.

He said: “It was really hard to learn all the words of the song but I enjoyed singing with Nathan.”