A Winchester woman is writing a charity song to help raise money and awareness of cancer.

Karen Mann lost her sister several years ago to cancer, and then just last year her best friend also succumbed to the disease.

Her sister Molly Maraspin was just 35 when she died, while best friend Geraldine 'Ged' Maria Mattar was 53 when she passed away last September.

Karen, also 53, said: “I lost my sister some years ago to cancer, when she was only 35. Then I lost my best friend last September due to cancer. She was very popular; she worked for BA and is still getting messages on her Facebook from friends saying how much they miss her.

“The idea for the song came because we used to sing together when we were teenagers. We used to go round social clubs up north and work as blue coats and holiday camps.

Karen, who works at Winchester Primark, has enlisted the help of her former colleague Robbie Hillary, 20, to write the song, but they are now looking for help recording it.

She said: “We are looking for help because we need to record the song and are looking for someone to put us in a recording studio free of charge.

“We have been quoted £193 to cut 300 CD’s when it’s recorded but we need help to get that far.

“I just wrote down my feelings. I hadn’t done any singing in ages. I just felt I had to write down my feelings because there are just so many people suffering at the moment."

Karen, who lives in Felmer Drive, Kings Worthy, added she had been promised by Primark that if the record is produced, they will sell it at their tills.

She said: "I'm going to then look around and find out where the cancer charities are so we can sell the song and raise funds for them."