Sophie Ellis-Bextor calls for sweet childhood memories

The 28-year-old singer was photographed by Rankin to launch a campaign to collect "hundreds and thousands" of the nation's childhood memories.

Life is sweet: Sophie Ellis-Bextor in a tonne of Hundreds and Thousands

The Children's Society is asking the public to describe their early recollections for a report on what a good childhood should look like.

Ellis-Bextor, mother of three-year-old Sonny, said: "I'm delighted to support The Children's Society's campaign to make childhood better for all children in the UK today.

"As a mum, I want my children to have some fantastic memories.

"Being covered in Hundreds and Thousands is much more fun than I imagined but the serious message is we really need hundreds and thousands of childhood memories - please share yours."

Martin Field, director of campaigns at the charity, said: "Recent research held up the UK as the worst country in the developed world to grow up in.

"This is a chance for everyone to contribute towards making childhood better.

"Memories help to shape us and we want to make a positive change for children.

"We all have a memory to share so we can all get involved to make a real difference for children today."

Ellis-Bextor, who is married to The Feeling's bass player Richard Jones, said of her own childhood memory: "August 10, 1987 was the day my little brother was born and I was so excited to be a big sister.

"Jack's father is my stepdad and on the day Jack was born I was with my dad who was really happy for me and made me a special coin to mark the occasion."

The star, who recently supported Take That on tour, said: "I remember being proud not just that I finally wasn't an only child any more but also that my parents had moved on to better things since their divorce.

"Now I have a huge family with lots of brothers and sisters so I guess that date was the start of the happy ending."

Rankin writes about the "freedom" of playing a ball game with children on his street, Sir Cliff Richard remembers discovering he was getting a bicycle for Christmas, and Bernie Nolan recalls that she and her sister Linda "walking round the back streets near our house, each pushing our prams and chatting about our babies" after getting the prams for Christmas.

People are asked to contribute their memories at www.hundredsandthousands.org.