On Sunday 30th October 2016, we assembled an ad hoc choir of former miners and their families at Stainforth’s “Central Club”, right in the heart of the South Yorkshire pit villages.
We were handed out some lyric sheets and we recorded a Xmas single.
The whole day was filmed by Michael Lee Toas of MLT Productions, who created the music video with a crew from BBC Midlands.
It was a fantastic day of community spirit and solidarity and I think that is captured on both film and in the record.
The single has been released on download, via all the usual suspects (Amazon, I-Tunes, Spotify, Bandcamp, Cdbaby,etc) and we plan to take it to the top for Xmas.
All money raised will go to those struggling to make ends meet in our Food Banks and to other groups struggling to survive and living on our streets.
Our single is called “Merry Christmas from Hatfield Main” written and sung by the award winning, Joe Solo and the Hatfield Brigade, which I am proud to say that my wife and myself are part of the choir.
The song is about Christmas Day at every mining area in 1984 during the strike, where our supporters rallied together and gave us and our children a Christmas Day to remember.
For us this single is about paying back a debt of gratitude, given to us on that day.
We are desperate for everyone to download this single and try to get it to No1 at Christmas.
We are giving every penny that is made from the sale of this single, to food banks and to others struggling to survive and living on our streets in the UK.
With over 1Million people (400,000 children) are now visiting our food banks many others are too proud to visit our food banks. These people need our help.
If you could download this single and ask all your family, friends and other contacts to download it as well, I would very much appreciate it, please?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p04k93xb
"My New Year's Resolution, is to try and emulate Marek's level of chilled out, thoughtfulness and humour towards other forumites and not lose my decorum"
