THERE is just one week left to glimpse the healing power of music on children in war-torn countries at an exhibition at The O2-based British Music Experience.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of War Child which has seen the world’s leading musicians stage fundraising gigs and help change the lives of some 800,000 child victims of war.

Unseen photos, posters, musical memorabilia and a video offer backstage insight into the campaign which triggered the Brit award-winning album Help.

The first photograph of a blood-spattered child with a giant bandage over his face reminds you of the horrifying historical context to this exhibition.

But subsequent pictures of artists from Sir Paul McCartney to Radiohead who have backed the campaign and helped raise millions for the cause makes the experience both moving and uplifting.

War Child was founded in 1993 by filmmaker and Bill Leeson and writer David Wilson in response to the plight of children in the former Yugoslavia.

A mobile bakery was set up in Bosnia, churning out around 5,000 loaves a day. Today, the money raised from the charity helps children in a range of ways - from giving shelter to those gang-raped in DCR to music therapy in Bosnia.

War Child campaigner Ben Knowles said: “Music helps us give children their childhood back.

“We use music to bring smiles, joy and normal life back.”

The exhibition runs until April 30 and is included in the price of a ticket to the British Music Experience (BME).

The BME itself is worth a visit for an interactive charting of modern music history, held in a glowing, high-tech room which is halfway between a James Bond set and a nightclub.

It is perfect for engaging young people - and the young-at-heart - with touch-screen computers, a dance video booth, and a music studio where you can experiment with instruments.

For more information and to book tickets click here.