0:00:02 > 0:00:04Can you believe it's just over four months
0:00:04 > 0:00:07since the London Olympic and Paralympic Games
0:00:07 > 0:00:10played out so spectacularly on the world stage?
0:00:11 > 0:00:13It seemed like everyone on these isles
0:00:13 > 0:00:15had an extra spring in their step,
0:00:15 > 0:00:18forgot their worries, smiled at one another
0:00:18 > 0:00:21and felt a bit more hopeful about life.
0:00:21 > 0:00:24I wonder what your hopes are for the new year.
0:00:24 > 0:00:27Well, in today's Songs Of Praise, we meet some inspiring people
0:00:27 > 0:00:31who may give you reason to be hopeful in 2013.
0:00:34 > 0:00:36Shauna Muamba hoped thousands of football fans
0:00:36 > 0:00:39would pray for a miracle.
0:00:39 > 0:00:42Johnny Dawson-Ellis suffered tragic consequences
0:00:42 > 0:00:43after a motorbike accident,
0:00:43 > 0:00:45but decided to choose hope over despair.
0:00:45 > 0:00:48Singing our hymns with their hopeful messages,
0:00:48 > 0:00:51we've gathered choirs from across the north-west,
0:00:51 > 0:00:53joined by the Radio 2 Young Choristers of the Year.
0:00:56 > 0:00:58The renowned architect behind the Cenotaph,
0:00:58 > 0:01:02Englishman Edwin Lutyens, certainly had hopeful aspirations
0:01:02 > 0:01:06when he built his crypt in Liverpool in the 1930s.
0:01:06 > 0:01:10It was intended to form part of the largest cathedral in the world,
0:01:10 > 0:01:12but the Second World War forced the abandonment
0:01:12 > 0:01:14of the huge building above.
0:01:14 > 0:01:17That wasn't the end of hope or the project,
0:01:17 > 0:01:20and today's shining example, designed by Sir Frederick Gibberd,
0:01:20 > 0:01:23sits proudly on the Liverpool skyline.
0:01:25 > 0:01:27Our first hymn, like all our hymns today,
0:01:27 > 0:01:31reflects that amazing quality human beings can hold onto,
0:01:31 > 0:01:33even when the going gets tough -
0:01:33 > 0:01:34hope.
0:01:37 > 0:01:40# Morning has broken
0:03:53 > 0:03:56When Bolton Wanderers footballer Fabrice Muamba suffered
0:03:56 > 0:04:00a catastrophic cardiac arrest during a match last March,
0:04:00 > 0:04:03thousands of shocked fans feared the worst,
0:04:03 > 0:04:05but one person never gave up hope -
0:04:05 > 0:04:07his wife Shauna.
0:04:07 > 0:04:10Take me back to the day Fabrice collapsed.
0:04:10 > 0:04:11What were you doing?
0:04:11 > 0:04:14Sat right here, watching on the telly.
0:04:14 > 0:04:17There was no-one around him, no-one pushed him
0:04:17 > 0:04:20or it wasn't a bad tackle. He literally just fell.
0:04:20 > 0:04:23I knew it was serious just based on the reactions,
0:04:23 > 0:04:27the silence and the chanting of his name from both sides.
0:04:27 > 0:04:29I knew it was serious.
0:04:29 > 0:04:33They had no idea if he was alive or dead either.
0:04:33 > 0:04:35What did the doctors tell you in the hospital?
0:04:35 > 0:04:38They told me that if I was lucky,
0:04:38 > 0:04:40Fabrice would be severely brain damaged,
0:04:40 > 0:04:42or based on the time he didn't get oxygen,
0:04:42 > 0:04:45he would probably be in a vegetative state,
0:04:45 > 0:04:49so basically just a shell, existing on life support.
0:04:49 > 0:04:51How did you feel about that?
0:04:51 > 0:04:55I felt grateful that he was alive, so it was something to work with.
0:04:59 > 0:05:02You used social media when it happened, didn't you?
0:05:02 > 0:05:04I think my first tweet was, "God is in control."
0:05:04 > 0:05:06That's how I felt in that moment,
0:05:06 > 0:05:08that's why I said that, kind of thing.
0:05:08 > 0:05:11I'm glad I did that now, you know, because that helped me, you know?
0:05:11 > 0:05:14God was in control and that gave me my strength,
0:05:14 > 0:05:17knowing that something way bigger than me was watching over Fab.
0:05:17 > 0:05:20Sometimes in moments like that, you kind of think,
0:05:20 > 0:05:23"Oh, my God, it's hopeless, why me, why?" And for me,
0:05:23 > 0:05:25it wasn't a case of, "Why me?" or, "Woe is me,"
0:05:25 > 0:05:27it's kind of, "Thank you, God, for keeping him alive."
0:05:27 > 0:05:29Do you think prayer made a difference?
0:05:29 > 0:05:32I totally believe that prayer made a difference.
0:05:32 > 0:05:35Not only me praying for him as his partner,
0:05:35 > 0:05:38but the way the world collectively prayed for him.
0:05:38 > 0:05:41It's like the nation took us into their homes
0:05:41 > 0:05:43and into their hearts, and they really didn't have to.
0:05:43 > 0:05:47In that moment, it didn't matter who we were or where we came from
0:05:47 > 0:05:48or anything like that.
0:05:48 > 0:05:52It was just a collective moment where everybody just prayed for us.
0:05:52 > 0:05:56If it wasn't for people out there praying for him,
0:05:56 > 0:05:59caring about him collectively, I don't think...
0:05:59 > 0:06:02Maybe he wouldn't have pulled through the way he did, you know?
0:06:02 > 0:06:06Messages of support poured in from across the world,
0:06:06 > 0:06:08and Fabrice left hospital just a month later
0:06:08 > 0:06:12after making a miraculous recovery.
0:06:12 > 0:06:14How difficult was it for you to remain hopeful?
0:06:14 > 0:06:16You know, where there's life, there is hope,
0:06:16 > 0:06:19and I think you always have to have faith, you know?
0:06:19 > 0:06:21They say faith can move mountains as well,
0:06:21 > 0:06:24and I prayed for God to keep Fabrice alive.
0:06:24 > 0:06:26He did that for me.
0:06:26 > 0:06:28He made sure he woke up. He made sure he's fine.
0:06:28 > 0:06:32Beside a bit of short-term memory loss, Fabrice is fine,
0:06:32 > 0:06:34so I got more than I prayed for.
0:10:03 > 0:10:06Normally, the only singing you associate with a football club
0:10:06 > 0:10:08is the chanting coming from the terraces.
0:10:08 > 0:10:11Manchester United, one of the most famous football clubs in the world,
0:10:11 > 0:10:13is getting noticed by local teenagers
0:10:13 > 0:10:16for something other than football - its foundation choir.
0:10:16 > 0:10:19But this choir, made up of a real mix of voices and backgrounds,
0:10:19 > 0:10:22is putting hope and faith back into young lives.
0:10:22 > 0:10:23# 5, 6, 7, 8
0:10:23 > 0:10:25# 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1... #
0:10:25 > 0:10:28I guess because music and sports are so different,
0:10:28 > 0:10:32it's nice to be able to actually get a different group of people.
0:10:32 > 0:10:35For instance, we have quite a large group of lads that come,
0:10:35 > 0:10:37and I think, in most choirs,
0:10:37 > 0:10:40it's quite hard to get a lot of guys to join,
0:10:40 > 0:10:43because it's not a cool thing, really.
0:10:43 > 0:10:46You know, it's not something that most guys can go to school,
0:10:46 > 0:10:48"Oh, yeah, I'm in a choir."
0:10:48 > 0:10:51But when it is part of one of the best football teams in the world,
0:10:51 > 0:10:54I mean, to be able to say that you're in a choir for Manchester United,
0:10:54 > 0:10:56it does reach out to a new...
0:10:56 > 0:10:57to a lot more people.
0:10:57 > 0:11:00It's actually really amazing to be here and singing,
0:11:00 > 0:11:02because it's always been a dream of mine,
0:11:02 > 0:11:05and just to fulfil that dream
0:11:05 > 0:11:07is just really amazing, actually.
0:11:07 > 0:11:10A lot of people would be out doing things probably they shouldn't.
0:11:10 > 0:11:13A lot of people spend time in parks and things like that,
0:11:13 > 0:11:15and I know the choir gives children the opportunity
0:11:15 > 0:11:17to come here and socialise, meet new people,
0:11:17 > 0:11:19make really good bonds with people,
0:11:19 > 0:11:21and it gets them off the streets and gives them something to do.
0:11:21 > 0:11:24At times, I do feel like there's someone guiding me there,
0:11:24 > 0:11:28like God, cos I'm a Christian and I pray to God.
0:11:28 > 0:11:32So, yeah, I think there is a guiding angel there for me.
0:11:32 > 0:11:34The choir supported me at a time of my life
0:11:34 > 0:11:39when I was losing a lot of hope in everything.
0:11:39 > 0:11:45I was going downhill with college.
0:11:45 > 0:11:49I'd left home, I was getting quite depressed.
0:11:49 > 0:11:52The choir's brought me through and helped me,
0:11:52 > 0:11:55and now I'm studying music at university,
0:11:55 > 0:11:58and that probably wouldn't have been achievable
0:11:58 > 0:11:59without the choir's support.
0:11:59 > 0:12:02It's exactly the same as being a footballer
0:12:02 > 0:12:04or being a sportsperson. Do you know,
0:12:04 > 0:12:06it's about working in a team
0:12:06 > 0:12:09and it's about turning up, working hard.
0:12:09 > 0:12:13# I'm bullet-proof, nothing to lose
0:12:13 > 0:12:17# Fire away, fire away... #
0:12:17 > 0:12:20Not all choirs do sing things in the charts
0:12:20 > 0:12:21and you wouldn't really expect it,
0:12:21 > 0:12:25but it's all songs that are uplifting songs,
0:12:25 > 0:12:28that are feel-good and songs that are relevant today
0:12:28 > 0:12:31and that everybody enjoys singing as well,
0:12:31 > 0:12:34and then at the end of it, when we've worked hard,
0:12:34 > 0:12:37we actually get to do these absolutely amazing things
0:12:37 > 0:12:39which really are worth all the hard work.
0:12:41 > 0:12:42The choir gave a performance
0:12:42 > 0:12:45at our School Choir Of The Year competition,
0:12:45 > 0:12:48and though they weren't being judged as part of the competition,
0:12:48 > 0:12:50they certainly wowed the audience.
0:12:50 > 0:12:55# I'll sing it one last time for you
0:12:55 > 0:13:00# Then we really have to go
0:13:00 > 0:13:04# You've been the only thing that's right
0:13:04 > 0:13:08# In all I've done
0:13:10 > 0:13:15# And I can barely look at you
0:13:15 > 0:13:19# But every single time I do
0:13:19 > 0:13:24# I know we'll make it anyway
0:13:24 > 0:13:28# Away from here
0:13:30 > 0:13:33# Light up, light up
0:13:33 > 0:13:38# As if you have a choice
0:13:38 > 0:13:43# Even if you cannot hear my voice
0:13:43 > 0:13:47# I'll be right beside you, dear
0:13:50 > 0:13:53# Louder, louder
0:13:53 > 0:13:57# And we'll run for our lives
0:13:57 > 0:14:01# I can hardly speak, I understand
0:14:01 > 0:14:06# Why you can't raise your voice to say
0:14:18 > 0:14:23# To think I might not see those eyes
0:14:23 > 0:14:28# It makes it so hard not to cry
0:14:28 > 0:14:32# And as we say our long goodbyes
0:14:32 > 0:14:36# I nearly do
0:14:38 > 0:14:42# Light up, light up
0:14:42 > 0:14:45# As if you have a choice
0:14:45 > 0:14:50# Even if you cannot hear my voice
0:14:50 > 0:14:55# I'll be right beside you, dear
0:14:57 > 0:15:01# Louder, louder
0:15:01 > 0:15:05# And we'll run for our lives
0:15:05 > 0:15:09# I can hardly speak, I understand
0:15:09 > 0:15:14# Why you can't raise your voice to say
0:15:17 > 0:15:20# Louder, louder
0:15:20 > 0:15:24# And we'll run for our lives
0:15:24 > 0:15:29# I can hardly speak, I understand
0:15:29 > 0:15:34# Why you can't raise your voice to say
0:15:37 > 0:15:42# Oooh. #
0:15:46 > 0:15:49Johnny Dawson-Ellis was just 29 years old
0:15:49 > 0:15:53when a routine journey home from work tragically changed his life.
0:15:53 > 0:15:56But when he chose hope over despair,
0:15:56 > 0:16:00he found himself in one of the greatest shows on earth.
0:16:00 > 0:16:05It was on the way home from work that, on a motorbike,
0:16:05 > 0:16:07I lost control on the road,
0:16:07 > 0:16:11slid along the floor and broke my back.
0:16:12 > 0:16:16I remember being left in a room on my own and, you know,
0:16:16 > 0:16:23the realisation of the fact that I would never walk again.
0:16:24 > 0:16:27There in that hospital, did you ever run out of hope,
0:16:27 > 0:16:29or think to yourself,
0:16:29 > 0:16:32"Now I'm in a hopeless state," if you like?
0:16:32 > 0:16:36Yeah. You sort of feel very vulnerable,
0:16:36 > 0:16:40and being such an independent person prior to the accident
0:16:40 > 0:16:43and then in hospital not being able to do anything
0:16:43 > 0:16:47and having everyone have to work around you and help you is...
0:16:48 > 0:16:50..you feel hopeless.
0:16:52 > 0:16:55I remember thinking that there's two paths.
0:16:56 > 0:17:00I could either stay positive and make the most of it,
0:17:00 > 0:17:07or I could close up on myself and become upset about it.
0:17:07 > 0:17:09When I came to that crossroads,
0:17:09 > 0:17:16I searched inside myself and asked for help,
0:17:16 > 0:17:22and I seemed to get that help
0:17:22 > 0:17:24that actually pushed me in the right direction.
0:17:24 > 0:17:27Do you think faith has helped you with your recovery?
0:17:28 > 0:17:31Erm...yes, yeah, because it put me on the right track.
0:17:33 > 0:17:35If I hadn't had that faith, then...
0:17:35 > 0:17:39you know, I don't know what would have happened.
0:17:42 > 0:17:46It seems that since the accident, your life has changed completely.
0:17:46 > 0:17:49What part did you play in the Paralympic Opening Ceremony?
0:17:49 > 0:17:51In the Paralympic Opening Ceremony,
0:17:51 > 0:17:57I was part of a group of wonderful people.
0:17:57 > 0:17:59We were all disabled in one way or another,
0:17:59 > 0:18:01and it was so inspiring.
0:18:01 > 0:18:03Everyone pushed each other on.
0:18:03 > 0:18:06I was swung on ropes with nothing holding me.
0:18:06 > 0:18:10I had to climb a four and a half metre carbon rod,
0:18:10 > 0:18:13strap myself in at the top and then sway.
0:18:13 > 0:18:17It probably was the best experience I've ever had in my life, you know?
0:18:17 > 0:18:20You were told by the consultant that you'd never walk again,
0:18:20 > 0:18:23and you're even having a go at that now.
0:18:23 > 0:18:28Yeah, I've managed to become part of a process
0:18:28 > 0:18:33of using robotic legs,
0:18:33 > 0:18:36which is just phenomenal.
0:18:38 > 0:18:43Firstly, you feel physically better, because obviously,
0:18:43 > 0:18:46being in a chair the whole time, you're not moving your legs
0:18:46 > 0:18:50and I get a lot of pain in the legs, but whilst you're walking,
0:18:50 > 0:18:56you don't feel as much pain, and also you just feel healthier.
0:18:56 > 0:19:01And mentally, being able to talk to people on the same level,
0:19:01 > 0:19:04being able to walk across a room, it's almost unexplainable.
0:19:04 > 0:19:09Everyone in a wheelchair, I have hope for their future.
0:19:09 > 0:19:14You know, there's so many things going with technology and science,
0:19:14 > 0:19:15and these legs are really...
0:19:15 > 0:19:18you know, they're just the start.
0:19:18 > 0:19:21You think back to when we had mobile phones, they were huge,
0:19:21 > 0:19:24but now they're nothing and they're so light,
0:19:24 > 0:19:25and it's the same thing with the legs.
0:19:25 > 0:19:28You know, they're going to go in that direction.
0:19:28 > 0:19:30I'm looking forward to the future.
0:19:30 > 0:19:33I have so much hope for the future, for me and everyone else.
0:22:20 > 0:22:22When Philippa Hanna was going through
0:22:22 > 0:22:24her troublesome teenage years,
0:22:24 > 0:22:26little did she realise that one day
0:22:26 > 0:22:30she'd be sharing the same stage with superstar Lionel Richie.
0:22:30 > 0:22:32Finding myself on tour with Lionel Richie
0:22:32 > 0:22:34was an incredible blessing, so I can't help but be grateful
0:22:34 > 0:22:37and thank God for the opportunity.
0:22:37 > 0:22:40It just seemed as soon as I hit 13, I just became really insecure,
0:22:40 > 0:22:43and you go to big school and you've got suddenly
0:22:43 > 0:22:47this sea of people and you don't know where you fit in in that crowd,
0:22:47 > 0:22:52and for me, I did lots of things to compromise myself, really.
0:22:52 > 0:22:56So after leaving school without many qualifications,
0:22:56 > 0:23:00I was a little bit lost, and around that time
0:23:00 > 0:23:04I met some Christians, and I noticed that they had something
0:23:04 > 0:23:07that I didn't have, which was this enthusiasm for life,
0:23:07 > 0:23:11hope for the future and a peace about them,
0:23:11 > 0:23:14and I was kind of really jealous, cos I just wanted to feel like that.
0:23:14 > 0:23:17# For he is higher
0:23:17 > 0:23:19# Than all the world could ever offer... #
0:23:19 > 0:23:22And that's kind of what led to me asking God into my life,
0:23:22 > 0:23:25because I just wanted to be like them.
0:23:25 > 0:23:28So for me, it became a little place of, for me, personal worship,
0:23:28 > 0:23:31just playing and singing, but then it led to me
0:23:31 > 0:23:33writing all these new songs.
0:23:33 > 0:23:38# I'm going to stay just the way God made me... #
0:23:40 > 0:23:45This recent song, I was just thinking about what it feels like to be lost,
0:23:45 > 0:23:48and I had this picture in mind of being out at sea in the night-time,
0:23:48 > 0:23:52when you don't know where home is, you don't know where the shore is,
0:23:52 > 0:23:56but a lighthouse is what shows you the way.
0:23:56 > 0:23:58So I thought, for me, that's what God's like.
0:23:58 > 0:24:00Cos even now, I don't know what tomorrow holds,
0:24:00 > 0:24:04I don't know what next year holds or the year after,
0:24:04 > 0:24:06but I really know that there's hope,
0:24:06 > 0:24:09and as long as I've got my eye on that light, I'll be all right.
0:24:10 > 0:24:14# So I send a signal flare into the sky
0:24:14 > 0:24:18# You see me there and shine your light
0:24:18 > 0:24:24# Cos you, you are a lighthouse
0:24:24 > 0:24:27# My hope in the blackout
0:24:27 > 0:24:32# I don't know how you found me
0:24:32 > 0:24:38# But you, you are the lighthouse
0:24:38 > 0:24:42# And you send the stars out
0:24:42 > 0:24:46# When darkness falls around me
0:24:46 > 0:24:49# And I feel not good enough
0:24:49 > 0:24:53# But you light me up
0:24:53 > 0:24:57# Yeah, I feel not good enough
0:24:57 > 0:25:01# But you light me up
0:25:01 > 0:25:06# I see the flicker and my heart awakens
0:25:06 > 0:25:09# Like the beating of a drum
0:25:09 > 0:25:13# Out in the distance, on the horizon
0:25:13 > 0:25:15# Like the rising midnight sun
0:25:15 > 0:25:20# And you paint the night the colour of dawn
0:25:20 > 0:25:22# And I know I'll make it home
0:25:22 > 0:25:27# I'll be safe and sound upon the sand
0:25:27 > 0:25:30# With a washed-up diamond in my hand
0:25:30 > 0:25:36# Cos you, you are a lighthouse
0:25:36 > 0:25:40# My hope in the blackout
0:25:40 > 0:25:44# I don't know how you found me
0:25:44 > 0:25:51# But you, you are the lighthouse
0:25:51 > 0:25:54# And you send the stars out
0:25:54 > 0:25:58# When darkness falls around me
0:25:58 > 0:26:02# And I feel not good enough
0:26:02 > 0:26:05# But you light me up
0:26:05 > 0:26:09# Yeah, I feel not good enough
0:26:09 > 0:26:13# But you light me up. #
0:26:19 > 0:26:22'Lord, since we know not what lies ahead of us in life's journey,
0:26:22 > 0:26:26'guide our future steps in the way of your will.'
0:26:27 > 0:26:29'For in fulfilling your plan for our lives,
0:26:29 > 0:26:34'we shall be doing what is best for us and most for your glory.'
0:29:46 > 0:29:51That's just about it for this first Songs Of Praise of 2013.
0:29:51 > 0:29:53I hope we've instilled in you a little bit of inspiration
0:29:53 > 0:29:56and optimism as we head into the new year.
0:29:56 > 0:30:00We end with a beautiful hymn of hope to carry you on your way.
0:32:54 > 0:32:57Now, just before we go, I know Christmas is officially over,
0:32:57 > 0:32:59but whilst it's still fresh in your minds,
0:32:59 > 0:33:02we'd like to hear from you about your favourite carol.
0:33:02 > 0:33:04In fact, we're running a vote,
0:33:04 > 0:33:07and the favourites will feature on this year's Christmas Big Sing.
0:33:07 > 0:33:10Now, the only way to vote is via our website. That's...
0:33:14 > 0:33:16So if you want to hear your favourite carol
0:33:16 > 0:33:19sung in the Royal Albert Hall, get voting now.
0:33:19 > 0:33:23We'll be running a similar vote for your favourite hymns very soon,
0:33:23 > 0:33:24so watch this space.
0:33:24 > 0:33:28Next week, David explores the past, present and future
0:33:28 > 0:33:32of the Church in Stoke-on-Trent,
0:33:32 > 0:33:35and introduces modern and traditional hymns
0:33:35 > 0:33:37from Longton Methodist Central Hall.
0:33:37 > 0:33:41Plus performances by Kristyna Myles
0:33:41 > 0:33:42and Stuart Pendred.
0:34:00 > 0:34:03Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd