A BARROW band met with charity representatives following the success of their chart-busting Christmas charity single crowdfunding campaign.
Band in Dystopia reached the top five in the iTunes chart after their Band-Aid style song Light a Candle went viral at Christmas last year.
The hit single, produced by nine local singers and the South Lakes Rock School Rock & Pop Choir, beat the likes of Mariah Carey’s All I want for Christmas is You and Last Christmas by Wham!
READ MORE HERE: Barrow band's Christmas single beating Mariah Carey in UK iTunes chart
It has now amassed 1,199 downloads sold on iTunes and Amazon.
In total, £9,386.60 has been raised for four charities in the Barrow area covering food, shelter, care and mental health since its original release in December 2022 – including £3,600 last year.
Now Light a Candle singers gathered in the wellbeing garden at mental health charity Mind-in-Furness to celebrate the project.
They were accompanied by other charity representatives from Barrow Foodbank, Furness Homeless Support Group and St Mary’s Hospice – all of which have received an equal share of the funds raised.
John Rennie, the band’s singer/songwriter, said: “It was a special occasion to finally meet face to face with the charities and hear about the work they do. They were very kind in showing gratitude for our efforts which we greatly appreciated.
“We’ve learned from talking to the representatives that it’s a difficult time for these charities. They need a lot more funding to help the ever-growing number of people in need of support. We’re happy that we have been able to use our talents in some way."
Karen Dobson, chief officer at Mind-in-Furness, said fundraising campaigns like this were ‘incredibly important’ for local charities.
She said: “We’re very appreciative and love the idea this is a community that got together. It shows the power of communities and music. There are some really good local charities that have benefitted.
“Some of the funds we received from the campaign last year were put towards a wellbeing garden which came from the Chelsea Flower Show.
“The idea is that it creates a place in the community for us all to do our work and to encourage people to volunteer, but it’s also important to us that it’s open to everybody in the town centre. Where this is very little greenery, it just provides a little bit of a safe haven.
“We are in incredibly challenging times. There are massive cuts to public sector funding and there is a lot more competition for grants and foundation trusts, so this is really important for what it brings to us financially.”
John started the idea of forming Band in Dystopia on a frosty Sunday morning in January 2022.
When asked if he could have ever envisaged the success the Christmas charity single campaign, he said: “I had a big dream from the start that it could be a success. The grand vision was the driving factor motivating myself to make things happen.
“Although, I knew I couldn’t do it alone, and it would come down to getting the right people together.
“I’ll be forever grateful to everyone who responded positively and willingly when I first reached out to them all back in October 2022.”
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