The Overtones
The Overtones have released a Christmas charity single for Operation Smile.
The five-piece harmony group have covered a festive version of the Nat King Cole's 1950s classic 'Smile' in aid of the Operation Smile Rwanda appeal.
Fresh from the success of their third Top Five album 'Saturday Night At The Movies', the vocal group - made up of Lachie Chapman, Mark Franks, Mike Crawshaw, Darren Everest and Timmy Matley have teamed up with the charity - which works to provide free cleft lip and clef palate surgery to children worldwide - by donating 100 per cent of profits from the single to the Operation Smile campaign.
The band made the decision to support the cause after visiting one of the charities medical projects in Rwanda and experiencing the work of Operation Smile first-hand. They hope to raise £56,000 in order to return to the project in April 2014 and provide funding for those children still awaiting the procedure.
Overtones bass singer Lachie said: "Visiting Operation Smile's medical project in Rwanda was a really humbling trip for us; seeing children whose lives are devastated by cleft lips and cleft palates and the transformation in their lives post-surgery was incredible. We are so pleased to be supporting Operation Smile this Christmas and raising awareness of such a valuable cause."
To date Operation Smile has performed over 200,000 surgeries on children and young adults worldwide and are hoping that teaming up with The Overtones will lead to thousands more as each 75 singles sold is enough to fund one procedure and bring a smile to a child's face.
CEO of Operation Smile, Alex Talbot, said: "Since 2009, we have provided 1,000 people in Rwanda with life changing cleft operations. But, with 4,000 people still in need of surgery and up to 300 children born each year with the clefts in the country, the need is still great. We must raise £56,000 to fund our next project in Rwanda in April 2014 and that is why we are so delighted at the generosity of The Overtones recording 'Smile' as a charity Christmas single on our behalf."
'Smile' by The Overtones can be pre-ordered on iTunes now and will be available for download from Monday 16th December.
The single includes the title track 'Smile', the official music video and two bonus Christmas covers of 'Winter Wonderland' and 'White Christmas'.
To find out more, visit operationsmile.org.uk/overtones-in-rwanda/overtones-itunes