This is a great way to get into the Christmas spirit and raise a bit of cash for Huddersfield’s food bank at the same time.

Husband and wife musicians Andy and Tracy Lewin are recording a different Christmas song and also filming a video for their YouTube channel and other social media every day for the first 25 days of December … and everyone is welcome to view it.

All the Hade Edge couple ask in return is if people could send a couple of quid – or more if they can afford – to the Welcome Centre via a JustGiving page Andy and Tracy have set up at https://www.justgiving.com/page/andy-lewin-1699887851113

Andy said: “Since learning about The Welcome Centre and all the amazing work it does providing food and giving advice and support we have set ourselves the challenge to record, film and upload a Christmas song onto our YouTube channel and various other social networking places every day of December up to and including Christmas Day. It’s a huge task but one we are sure will be fun and rewarding.

“We have no goal we want to reach as we know times are tough. We only ask that people donate the price of a cup of coffee or tea. If you would like to donate more we certainly won’t hold it against you, but only what you can afford.

“We hope that you will follow us during this journey and we thank everybody who is helping us with this and everyone who donates.”

The couple are also keen to do some bigger productions so would love choirs to join them for some of the recordings. Other musicians and a brass band have already promised to help them out.

Andy added: “We are ideally looking for a choir that may want to sing on a song or two. We would like a children’s choir much like on the end of John Lennon’s song Merry Xmas (War Is Over).

“Any musicians who would like to play on some of the songs are more than welcome. We have Hade Edge Brass Band playing on a few songs and also some musicians from fellow bands.”

Andy and Tracy are in the Huddersfield band called Face The Strange that plays rock, pop, blues, funk, jazz and folk, covering the links of Muse, Blondie, Doobie Brothers, Prince, David Bowie, ELO and Rainbow.

Andy, who also runs Hade Edge Guitar Tuition, said: “We are real Bowie fans and the name ‘face the strange’ is a line from his song Changes. Some people even think we’re a Bowie tribute band.”

Andy and Tracy did a similar Christmas song a day in December 2019 which raised around £600 for the homeless charity Crisis and in 2020 did one with each day featuring an independent business in Huddersfield to promote them during the Covid pandemic.

Andy’s favourite Christmas song is Wizzard’s I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day while Tracy loves Greg Lake’s I Believe In Father Christmas.

To listen to the songs and watch the videos go to the YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/@facethestrangeband

Here’s the provisional song list:

1. A Spaceman Came Travelling
2. Baby It’s Cold Outside
3. Hazy Shade Of Winter by The Bangles
4. Merry Christmas Darling by the Carpenters
5. Christmas Day by Squeeze
6. Run Run Rudolph
7. Silent Night
8. Santa Bring My Baby Back To Me by Elvis
9. Funky Little Drummer Boy by Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings
10. The Bells Of St Mary’s
11. Mary’s Boy Child
12. Remember Bethlehem
13. Underneath The Tree
14. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
15. Oh Come All Ye Faithful With Hade Edge Band
16. Marshmallow World
17. Walking In The Air
18. One More Sleep by Leona Lewis
19. Hark The Herald Angels Sing with Hade Edge Band
20. Christmas Time (Don’t Let The Bells End) by The Darkness
21. I’ll Be Home For Christmas
22. Do they Know It’s Christmas
23. War Is Over
24. Merry Christmas Everybody
25. I Wish It Could be Christmas Every Day

Musicians who are already helping include guitarist Duane Robinson from Bradford-based Sons Of Robin, guitarist Chris Haddleton and singer Louise Ruane from Leeds-based rock band Empress and Huddersfield singer Lee Gibson.

Written by ANDY HIRST who runs his own Yorkshire freelance journalism agency AH! PR (https://ah-pr.com/) specialising in press releases, blogging, website content and copywriting.