Jarrow music legend made patron of a charity supporting those with rare genetic condition which he has supported for over 20 years

South Tyneside music legend John Miles has been working with The Cri du Chat Support Group for over 25 years and has now been made a patron of the charity, which supports those with, and families of those with, the rare genetic condition Cri du Chat Syndrome including Miles’ grandson Marcus.

John has long been a supporter of the Cri du Chat Support Group and in 1994 he wrote the song ‘Angel’ about his daughter Tanya with the intention of raising awareness and funds for the group, helping over 300 families with funds raised since its release.

Cri du Chat Syndrome, a French term meaning “call of the cat”, was first discovered by French paediatrician and geneticist Jérôme Lejeune in 1963 and occurs due to a random genetic partial deletion of chromosome 5.

Chairman of the Cri du Chat Support group, Martin Roberts said: “Having John [Miles] join us as a patron is a real honour and will excite our members and hopefully boost our aims in raising awareness about this condition.”

Originally born in Jarrow, John grew up in Hebburn and has worked with artists including Tina Turner and Jimmy Page.

Cri du Chat syndrome can cause mild to severe mental, physical and learning difficulties and those with these additional needs often struggle with basic day to day activities.

For more information or to donate to the support group, visit www.criduchat.org.uk.

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