Charity single hoping to reach Christmas Top 40

A local charity single is hoping to build on its initial chart success and make it into the Christmas Top 40.

Light A Candle, performed by Barrow-in-Furness group Band in Dystopia, reached the top 10 download list on the iTunes chart at the weekend.

Writer and producer John Rennie said: "It got to number five, sat just behind The Pogues, which is unreal, unbelievable."

Money raised will be donated to charities including Barrow Foodbank, Mind-in-Furness, Furness Homeless Support Group and St Mary's Hospice.

The Official Charts Company will collate its Christmas chart from physical sales, digital downloads and audio and video streams between Friday 15 December and Thursday 21 December.

Rennie said: “We also got some funny news that it had got to number 40 in the Greece iTunes chart. I still don’t know how that happened but it’s a really nice thing.

“We’ve got this one opportunity to make this chart place. For Christmas, it would be an amazing story for Barrow and the community

“The community response has been amazing. I couldn’t have asked for more support.”

Light A Candle was inspired by the memory of the Rennie's uncle.

The song is also going to be performed by students at a Barrow school in their carol service, the writer said.

It has also been picked up and translated into Makaton, which uses hand signs alongside spoken language, and will be performed at another school in the area.

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