A WOMAN who could ‘light up the room with her smile’ as she grew up in Newton Abbot has launched a new musical project to put a Smile on the faces of people worldwide.

Rachael Footer, with her company Magic Earth Productions, has launched Smile.

She says: ‘This summer, my new company Magic Earth Productions started work on a beautiful musical project… Smile.

‘If you would like to participate then please record you, your family, your friends removing masks, smiling, dancing and enjoying life!

‘Then send the video (it can be just a few seconds or longer!) to: [email protected].

‘It would be fabulous if you could share this post with as many people as possible so that it can reach all around the world and together we can create something really wonderful.

‘Thank you so much and we look forward to seeing all your beautiful faces and images soon!’

The deadline to take part is October 9.

Rachael said: ‘I moved to Hong Kong in 1996 after university and started my own entertainments company “Rachael’s fun house”.

‘Working as a dancer, choreographer, actress, impersonator, TV presenter and singer/song writer I enjoyed many happy years entertaining throughout the territory.

‘As we were all girls in the company we ended up forming an all girl band The Rice Girls which was an incredible amount of fun and enjoyed lots of success.

‘In 2018 I sold my company as my husband and I were preparing to leave Hong Kong with our two sons and move to Spain. We moved to Spain in summer 2019.

‘We spent lockdown here, where restrictions were very strict and I could see clearly the effects of this social isolation on people.

‘This summer the compulsory mask wearing was relaxed if you were outside.

‘I went for a walk in the forest and it had a party type atmosphere-everyone was smiling and laughing and high-five one another.

‘You could tell how happy everyone was that they could interact with each other – have real contact and connect.

‘Someone should write a song about smiling, I thought... and then it went from there!

‘It was wonderful to reconnect with the other members of The Rice Girls again and they were very keen to be involved in the project.

‘The song “Smile” is written and recorded and I am now making the video to accompany it.

‘The idea is to collect videos from all over the world showing what the lifting of lockdown restrictions has meant to everyone.

‘We want people to video reunions, family celebrations.

‘My hope is to involve as many countries as possible and for the video to be a beautiful, hopeful, inspirational illustration of the love and joy that exists between humans – we cannot live without it.

‘My new company ‘Magic Earth productions’ (which I formed this summer) was created with the intention of celebrating life, to shine a light of hope, joy, fun and happiness on the world,  through song, dance and theatre.Smile is its first project.’

Rachael’s mum, Kathleen Blackmore, who still lives in Newton Abbot, said: ‘This project is so perfect for Rachael as she always has a smile on her face.

‘If she walks into a room her smile will light up the place.

‘People always remember her as the little girl who was always smiling.’

So let’s back Rachael’s cause – smile!