December 28, 2008 10:26

John Lennon to appear in advert from beyond the grave

Former Beatle joins campaign to get technology to the poor

John Lennon is set to appear in a charity advert, nearly 30 years after his death.

Permission to use the former Beatle's voice and image were given by his widow, Yoko Ono, to the One Laptop Per Child Foundation which is campaigning to supply computers to the world's poorest children.

The organisation, a spin-off of a project by the Massachusetts Institute Of Technology, supplies the £140, solar powered machines to allow the world's poorest places to gain access to helpful technology.

In the advert, which can be seen below, Lennon says: "Imagine every child no matter where in the world they were could access a universe of knowledge. They would have a chance to learn, to dream, to achieve anything they want. I tried to do it through my music, but now you can do it in a very different way."

Air time for the advert will be donated by cable stations in the US.