FRIENDS and family of a Moorlinch teenager who died aged 17 from a rare, aggressive form of cancer, have produced a music CD in his memory.

Sam McDonald was remembered at a live music event at Stawell Village Hall where a CD, called Play It Again, Sam and Friends, was unveiled before 200 guests to raise money for the Teenage Cancer Trust South West Appeal.

The CD is a compilation of 14 songs composed by Sam and his friends and tracks by local Glastonbury bands, friends and family written for Sam, including a bonus track written by his dad, Kevin.

Jane, Sam's mum, said the family had been determined to raise money for the charity.

"Being a teenager is difficult enough, but having to cope with cancer and missing out on growing up with your friends is very hard," she said.

"Sam often referred to his stays in hospital as 'being in the slammer.' He was always polite and helpful to staff but became very insular and remote – treating it like a prison sentence.

"We believe that if Sam had been treated in a Teenage Cancer Trust unit it would have had a strong positive psychological impact on him.

"The few times he was with other teenage cancer patients during treatment he was a different person, the whole experience being less frightening and lonely."

The charity launched its South West Appeal earlier this year, with the aim of raising £1 million to fund services solely for young people with cancer and aged between 16 and 24 in the South West.

The CD costs £8 and will raise money for the appeal.

It can be ordered at www.teenagecancertrust .org. and will also be available in the UK from iTunes.

"Working on this project with Sam's friends has been a pleasure and the CD is a wonderful tribute for everyone involved," said Jane.

"Sam changed so many lives and had a spark that will never go out.

"He gave himself such a strong positive reputation and no-one will ever forget him."