Former Paralympian realises lifelong dream to sing

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Simon Thake BBC News, East Midlands

A former Paralympian has set her sights on a new chapter in her life - music.

Zoe Edge, from Derbyshire, was born with severe athetoid cerebral palsy, external, but she does not see her disability as a limitation.

She won a silver medal in boccia at the 1996 Paralympic Games and has gone on to dedicate her life to fundraising for various charitable causes.

Now she has teamed up with a Chesterfield music producer to realise a lifelong dream to create her own music using artificial intelligence (AI) technology.

Zoe travelled the world playing the bowling game, boccia

Zoe, 50, said: "I have written song lyrics since I was a teenager, but because of my disability, I have never been able to sing or record them until now.

"However, thanks to innovative new technology, I have been able to have a 'voice'."

She first fell in love with pop music in the 1980s, inspired by acts like Bros and New Kids on the Block.

She uses an electric chair to move around her home in Chesterfield and a special computer-generated voice to communicate.

According to her father Mick Edge, she was always determined to "not let her disability hold her back".

After winning a silver medal at the Atlanta Paralympics in 1996, Zoe met Queen Elizabeth II

She travelled the world playing boccia, culminating in a silver medal at the 1996 Atlanta Paralympic Games.

Since then she has enjoyed fundraising for a number of charities, including a sponsored "roll across the pitch" for her beloved Chesterfield Football Club in early 2024.

Now working alongside producer Lyn Sheppard, Zoe has finally realised her dream and created a Christmas song titled "You Must Still Believe in Make-Believe".

Mr Sheppard said: "The mission was clear, she wanted to sing in her own voice on an original song.

"We eventually discovered AI, we found a sound she liked, and that's where we are now."

Zoe teamed up with music producer Lyn Sheppard to create her music

Zoe's mum Dylis Edge says "she cannot believe" her daughter's success.

"It's just unreal," she said.

"She has difficulty saying her own words, and now she has her own singing voice thanks to AI. It's brilliant!"

Mr Edge says he will "always be proud" of his daughter.

"She's amazing at what she's done," he added.

"She never lets anything hold her back. It makes us so proud of her."