HELPING the homeless is the motivation behind a Stratford musician’s new Christmas single.
Singer-songwriter Andrew James and Chris Onslow have written and recorded festive track ‘I Love You Like Christmas’ to raise awareness of the challenges homeless people face.
And the pair slept rough with other volunteers on the Recreation Ground in the town on Sunday (December 6) to experience what homeless people face at Christmas.
Andrew said: “One night sleeping rough is nothing compared to what homeless people have to go through at this time of year but even that was tough.
“It was freezing cold, impossible to get any sleep and just very, very hard.
“We hope people download the track and support The Big Issue Foundation’s fantastic work to help homeless people.”
The idea for the song came from Chris, who runs The Big Secret Sound, an organisation which helps showcase local artists.
All funds raised from the track, which was officially launched on iTunes this week, will go to The Big Issue Foundation.
Andrew also shot a video with media students from Stratford College on Monday (December 8).
He said: “I was delighted when Chris asked me to be a part of this because I can’t think of a much more worthy cause.
“We enjoyed putting the track together but Christmas singles are quite hard because you want something that is still upbeat but not too cheesy.
“I think we’ve managed to come up with something that is still festive but has a serious message about the challenges facing homeless people, particularly at this time of year.”
Andrew and Chris made the official charts with ‘Soldier On’ earlier this year in memory of Claverdon paratrooper Conrad Lewis.
‘I Love You Like Christmas’ is available for download from iTunes now.
