Ralph Lauren and celebrated British musician, composer and choir director Gareth Malone OBE have come together to create “A Little Time,” an original song inspired by the patients and staff of The Royal Marsden. Proceeds from the streaming and downloads of “A Little Time” will benefit The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity, helping us to fund the work of The Royal Marsden so that we can save the lives of people with cancer, everywhere.
The song, titled “A Little Time”, was inspired by conversations with The Royal Marsden’s patients and staff, and captures the power of connection, resilience, and shared hope. Performed by the Capital Children’s Choir and London Youth Choir, “A Little Time” was debuted at The Ralph Lauren Holiday Experience in Sloane Square during the Chelsea Christmas Lights Switch-On celebration on Saturday, 15 November 2025.
Images courtesy of Ralph Lauren.
‘A Little Time’ is now available for streaming and download on digital music platforms.
- Stream on Spotify here.
- Download on iTunes here.
- Stream on Apple Music here.
- Stream on Amazon Music here.
With every download, 98% of the download price of “A Little Time” will benefit The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity (Registered Charity No. 1095197). Please note a 2% processing fee is applied by the distributor per transaction.
Creating an original song to celebrate togetherness, hope and the spirit of giving
When creating the song, Gareth Malone visited The Royal Marsden and met with patients and staff to learn more about their experiences. Together, they shaped the themes of the song, which captures the power of connection, resilience, and shared hope. The song reminds us that giving even “a little time” can make a meaningful difference in the lives of others.
“When I walked through the doors of The Royal Marsden for the first time and went up to the Ralph Lauren Centre for Breast Cancer Research, I felt a sense of hope” says Gareth. “It made me want to do something – and I only know how to make music.”
“I wouldn’t have wanted to write this song had it not been for those patients, and their joy, and their positivity and their energy - It’s completely dedicated to them. I wanted the sense of joy that those patients spoke to me about, the joy of the moment, to shine through.”
“The title, ‘A Little Time’ is a reminder to us all, that we’re only here for a little time...and we need to make that count. The Royal Marsden, with the support of The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity, is helping people to live well with cancer, to have more time. There’s a lot of people coming together to improve lives and to lengthen lives and buy people more time. I feel grateful that there are places like that.”
The Royal Marsden has gifted me the most priceless treasure of all - more time.
The Royal Marsden patients behind the song
Sam, one of the patients involved in the project, was just 34 years old when he was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumour in 2020.
“When I was diagnosed, I never thought I’d see 40, but thanks to the amazing team at The Royal Marsden, I celebrated my 40th birthday this year with my friends and family. It was an amazing experience to meet Gareth Malone and to help him to craft the song. I want to inspire and encourage people to not give up, and I think that is at the heart of this piece of music.”
“It was amazing to sit with Sam” says Gareth. “He’s been so affected by cancer and so helped by The Royal Marsden. Sam sat at the piano, and I said “well...what does hope sound like?” and he essentially gave me the first little germ of an idea, and that’s become the song.”
Leanne, a gynaecological cancer patient at The Royal Marsden, was also involved in the creation of the song.
Image courtesy of Ralph Lauren.
“I’m incredibly grateful to have had the support of The Royal Marsden” says Leanne. “It’s a remarkable place that has gifted me the most priceless treasure of all - more time. It was a pleasure to be involved in this project and play a part in the creation of this inspiring song.
“Funding research is life-saving and it gives people hope, which is why I’m so passionate about supporting The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity, to make a difference to more people like me.”
Our longstanding partnership with Ralph Lauren
Since 2013, The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity has been a proud partner of Ralph Lauren Corporation and their annual Pink Pony initiative. Our partnership was born from our shared ambition to support life-saving work that can develop new and better treatments for cancer patients around the world. Find out more about our partnership here.
Antonia Dalmahoy, Managing Director of The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity, said:
“We are immensely grateful to Gareth Malone and our longstanding partner, Ralph Lauren, for their incredible support of The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity, as well as patients and staff from The Royal Marsden who shared their experiences to help create this beautiful and moving song. Funds raised for the Charity through the sale of A Little Time will help to fund the vital work at The Royal Marsden, which saves the lives of cancer patients across the UK and around the world.”