10,000 children across the world to sing new song for G7 summit in Cornwall

  • Report by Grace Pascoe

A choir from Truro has released a new song to mark the G7 Summit in Cornwall in June and it is hoped thousands of children will sing it and get their voices heard.

Truro Cathedral Choir has recorded ‘Gee Seven’, a song written by Lion King and Joseph lyricist Sir Tim Rice with composer Peter Hobbs. 

  • Watch Truro Cathedral Choir performing 'Gee Seven', courtesy Sing2G7 

More than 10,000 children from around the world have signed up to learn and sing the ‘Gee Seven’ song after hearing Truro Cathedral Choir's version.

Among them are young singers from 16 countries including Australia, South Africa, Canada, Germany, Japan, Portugal and Vietnam.  

Pupils from Madron Daniel CofE School in Cornwall rehearsing the 'Gee Seven' song. Credit: ITV West Country

More than 100 primary schools in the UK are joining in, including pupils at Madron Daniel C of E School near Penzance.

The summit will see world leaders, including US President Joe Biden, descend on Carbis Bay to discuss topics ranging from climate change to coronavirus.

Sing2G7 founder, Esme Page, is the woman behind the charity Cornwall Hugs Grenfell. It has provided holidays for almost 500 families and survivors of the Grenfell Tower fire as well as firefighters who worked on that fateful day in June 2017.

In 2018, she and Chris Gray, the Director of Music at Truro Cathedral, worked together on the song 'Grenfell From Today'.

6,000 people worldwide joined voices to mark the first anniversary of the disaster.

Esme Page and Truro Cathedral's Christopher Gray founded Sing2G7 to ensure children’s voices are at the heart of the G7 Summit Credit: ITV West Country

Now Esme Page and Christopher Gray have come together to form Sing2G7. Esme wants to ensure children’s voices are at the heart of G7 2021.

She said: “For young children hearing G7 they might think – “is it a shoe size, what is it?” It’s going to be on our screens all the time and the idea was how do we make it relevant to them and get their voices heard because after all the leaders are meeting to decide all sorts of things to do with their future and we’re doing it through song.”

The Madron Daniel schoolchildren who are learning the Gee Seven song already have some strong opinions about what the summit should be tackling.

Olivia and her classmates at Madron Daniel CofE School have strong opinions about the G7 summit in Cornwall. Credit: ITV West Country

Olivia, aged eight, said: "I think they should be talking more about Covid, because Covid is a big deal right now, every child and adult wants it over so then it’s a normal world and we can have fun.”

 Kenza, nine, said: “Help animals and people make the world better.”

Roan, also nine, said: “If they’re going to come here I think they need to speak about the pollution we have in our seas because it’s important we keep our planet safe.”

 Schools and children across the West Country and the world are invited to join the global singsong.

More information, including all the resources you need, can be found on the Sing2G7 website. 

Credit: Sing2G7