Myleene Klass, Ava, Hero and even three-year-old Apollo got involved in making the designs
(Picture: Save The Children)Myleene Klass has voiced her pride as her daughters haven’t just inherited her musical talents, they are using their abilities to help others.
Model and musician Myleene, 44, has joined forces with Ava, 15, and Hero, 11, to launch a limited-edition series of sustainable festive jumpers for Save the Children’s Christmas Jumper Day on December 8.
Since launching a decade ago, Save the Children’s Christmas Jumper Day has raised more than £30 million to help transform the lives of children in the UK and around the world. Now, the campaign is set to reach twice as many children as before, thanks to the UK Government’s Aid Match funding, which will double every donation up to £2 million.
The two striking jumper designs – one featuring a Christmas pudding playing the guitar along with the slogan ‘Party Pud’ and the other a dancing sprout with the slogan ‘Twist and Sprout’ – are a nod to the family’s musical talents.
Speaking to the Standard about the design process – which took place around her kitchen table with even her three-year-old son Apollo getting involved – she joked it was “just like any of the major fashion houses”.
“We just sat down and they drew everything that meant Christmassy to them – even the baby got involved and had a little scribble. They drew their favourite instruments and Christmas characters.”
She admitted that “there was a lot of trial and error” with initial ideas such as harder-to-draw gingerbread men and polar bears discounted, but in the end they were all thrilled with the results.
Adding: “We’re using recycled materials and these are ideas that have been drawn up by children, they’ve got a really hard-hitting message actually with 100 percent of the proceeds going to Save the Children.”
The girls also accompanied the Smooth Radio presenter on a visit to a Save the Children supported centre for children with special educational needs so they could see the kind of projects that money from the sale of their jumpers could support.
The three Klass ladies spent the day with children and their parents at a messy play project in West London, which saw Myleene caught in the middle of a flour fight, Ava teaching piano and Hero making plasticine animals.
Myleene has been an ambassador for the charity for 10 years and helped launch the very first Christmas Jumper Day back in 2012, but this is the first time her daughters have been able to join her, something she says they have “always wanted to do”.
Myleene said: “My children have never worked as ambassadors before and to see them put the red t-shirts on and go in and teach piano lessons, I was so proud.
“We brought a piano, we did a singsong, we did If You’re Happy And You Know It Clap Your Hands, all the favourites, all the hits. My daughter [Ava] she’s a teacher anyway now, she’s 15 and has got seven of her own pupils – she taught a lot of the children how to play the piano, as did my other daughter [Hero].
“To see children teaching children, that’s a very powerful thing and children are really responsive to it. It’s something that nobody has really done and I think it was lovely of Save The Children to trust us with that and do it and it had the most incredible impact.
“It feels really empowering to be able to turn what their abilities are into being able to help other people and know that’s what they love to do so I think this has definitely just been the tip of the iceberg, it’s just the start of something.”
