A song recorded by eight-yearold Hayley Okines will raise vital funds to research the fatal ageing condition from which she suffers.

Hayley, from Bexhill, has progeria, which means the ageing process is eight times faster than normal.

This means that her body is like that of a 64-year-old and she suffers from conditions associated with the elderly, such as arthritis, balding and heart problems.

There are about 40 known cases of progeria worldwide and only four in the UK.

One of the others is two-year-old Ashanti White, from Burgess Hill, whose family are also raising money for the Progeria Research Foundation in America.

The average lifespan of children with progeria is about 13 years and at present there is no cure.

Hayley, who featured in a TV documentary on Five last year called Extraordinary People, joined The Kid's Choir 2000 in Southend on Sea, Essex, on Friday to record the song entitled Voices of Tomorrow.

Songwriter Jane Winiberg decided to help after she saw a programme about children with progeria. She teamed up with songwriter and producer Mark Street to write the track which will be released next month.

There will also be a video to accompany the single.

Ms Winiberg said: "I'd been in touch with Hayley's family for a while and told them I wanted to help. I'd been toying with song ideas and trying to think of who'd be best to sing it - then while at a fete in the summer, I saw a fantastic kids'

choir performing.

"Instantly, I knew they'd be perfect and when I approached the choirmaster, Steve Titford, he was delighted to help."

Mr Titford said: "Because progeria is so rare, it attracts very limited funding for medical research.

"Most money goes towards researching illnesses and diseases which affect more people such as cancer, heart disease and diabetes.

"All of us involved in the project are committed to helping raise both money and awareness."

Research into progeria will benefit not only these children, but also millions of people who suffer from heart disease and other ageingrelated conditions.

All profits from the release will go to the Progeria Research Foundation, which was established to find treatments and a cure for progeria so children like Hayley can look forward to long and healthy lives.

Audrey Gordon, president and executive director of the foundation, said: "We really are making so much progress - we discovered the gene, built the research-related programs needed to get researchers interested and involved and now have a potential drug treatment being explored.

"People who support us know that their money is producing results at a pace that is unheard of in the scientific community."

Hayley's parents, Mark and Kerry, said she was very excited and had been practising the song and learning the lyrics ready for the recording session.

Check on www.hayleyspage.com and www.janemusic.info for outlet information. For further information about the Progeria Research Foundation, visit www.progeriaresearch.org