Hope For Lily-Mae: HMV Said They Will Make The Charity Single’s Money A Priority

The family and support group of Lily-Mae Morrison, a four-year-old cancer patient, said they are hoping to recover the €27,000 from HMV after they have announced they will make the charity a priority case.

Lily-Mae was the face of ‘Tiny Dancer’, a cover of Elton John’s song that has raised thousands of euros since before Christmas to help her recover from the rare and aggressive form of cancer.

The family were in shock this week as they realised troubled retailer HMV may not pay the charity single’s invoice.

The high street entertainment retailer closed its Irish shops this week after going into administration in the UK.

HMV receiver David Carson has contacted the producer of Lily-Mae's single, Stephen Macken, to say he would prioritise the charity.

"He said he was acutely aware of our situation and would prioritise it," Mr Macken told the Irish Independent, who stressed that the success of the CD would not have been possible without the help of HMV and its staff.

"There are no bad guys in this, it's all just dreadfully unfortunate," he said.

Golden Discs has offered to help by restocking the CD and making a donation, believed to be around €5,000, to cover some of what is owed by HMV.

In Limerick, up to 30 workers have locked themselves into two HMV stores for a second night after they failed to get a guarantee that their wages would be paid.

The 300 former staff in the 14 Irish HMV stores were last paid on December 21^st. Four weeks' pay, as well as overtime and days in lieu, are owed.

At the HMV Crescent shop, workers are sleeping in a store room.