Susan Boyle to give up sweets for Lent to raise money for Scottish Catholic International Aid Fund

Susan Boyle is supporting a charity for Lent in memory of her mother. The singing sensation is giving up her favourite chocolate and sweet treats until Easter to raise funds for the Scottish Catholic International Aid Fund (Sciaf).

Susan said the cause was "very close to my heart" because her mother was collecting for the charity before she died in 2007, at the age of 91. At the charity's Glasgow headquarters, where the singer laughed as she posed for pictures with schoolchildren, she said: "I'm personally giving up chocolate - apart from it being too fattening, I think the money raised will be phenomenal." 
The Scottish star spoke to schoolchildren at the launch of the charity's Wee Box, Big Change campaign, which urges people to give up a treat for Lent and collect the cash to help impoverished people in developing countries.

She said: "The wee box brings back a lot of memories for me because it has been a charity which is very close to my heart.

"My mother used to have wee boxes such as this one in the house and, just before she passed away, she began collecting for Sciaf so this brings back a lot of memories for me personally. It is very personal and there is a strong message of hope."

The Britain's Got Talent star was later presented with a silk flower recovered from the wreckage of a cathedral in Haiti - where much of Sciaf's aid is focused. From The Belfast Telegraph, and twitch of the mantilla to Luke Coppen who featured this story in his 'morning must-reads'.
See Susan's first performance on YouTube here. It's been watched by over 61 million people so far.
Here is how Susan described the experience of singing for the pope.