Recording a charity single has helped a school girl raise over £10,000 for an international clean drinking water charity.

Lula Brown, nine, last week recorded and released a version of ’Ellan Vannin’, sung in both English and Manx, alongside musicians Ruth Keggin and Matt Creer, as well as her mother, Amanda.

Available as a download single from Bandcamp, the song has already been bought 71 times and raised £473.

The idea came about when Lula decided she wanted to raise enough money to create a well in an area of Africa that has no access to clean drinking water.

Amongst many of the initiatives the family thought of, Lula jumped at the idea to record and sing a song.

She contacted Ruth Keggin, who agreed to help, and brought in Matt Creer and producer Gypo Buggane, all of whom gave their time for free.

Despite being initially unnerved about going into the studio, Lula said that she enjoyed the experience, and she loved singing with Ruth, who she said was one of her musical heroes.

’One of my favourite things to do is to sing, so that’s why I thought a charity single would be good,’ said Lula.

’I thought the studio was going to be like going to somewhere like Manx Radio, but it turned out that the studio looked like a garage!

’I was stood in a sound booth, with headphones on, which I thought was quite fun to stand there.

But I wasn’t nervous, as I had sung the song a week before with Ruth at the Sound cafe. That was the first time I sang live with Ruth, but I have practised with her a couple of times before.’

Lula had already started a her own charity, called ’Gushgush’ to help raise money for clean water projects. She had run a series of ’project 10’ fund raisers, where people would join in with an event and donate £10, and also wrote her own children’s book.

The money raised will go to ’Charity: Water’, a US-based non-profit charity, who will dig a well in a village in Uganda.

’I don’t know how I feel at the moment,’ said Lula. ’I feel happy I have raised the money, but also shocked.

’As I got closer to the target, I began to think that I wouldn’t make it, but my parents were saying "you are going to definitely going to make it!"

’I am nervous about having my song played on the radio, in case people don’t like it, but it is very exciting too.’

Lula’s single can be downloaded at lulabrown.bandcamp.com

More details of Lula’s fund raising can be found at gushgush.strikingly.com