Martin raises charity cash with single

A CHARITY Christmas song has raised more than £550.

Musician Martin Stanyer, aged 25, from Kingston Hill, Stafford, recorded the comedy single to raise money for the Association for Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus (ASBAH).

It was done in memory of his sister, Elizabeth Stanyer, who died before Martin was born at just five weeks old from complications of the birth defect Spina Bifida.

Since The Sentinel covered Martin's story in October, his light-hearted song, called Pull My Cracker has now raised more than £550 in sales for ASBAH and there is still a week to go to pick up a copy.

Spina Bifida means 'split spine'. Usually the backbone provides a protective tube of bones surrounding the spinal cord, but in patients with the condition, the bones do not close around it.

Nerves can bulge out of an unborn baby's back and become damaged.

Hydrocephalus, which means 'water in the head', is when the brain produces too much fluid.

Pull My Cracker, above, is available from Guitar and Son, Stafford Tourist Information and Stafford Gatehouse.