Reading band Third Lung, who played at the Big Sleep Out back in October, have released a poignant festive single in support of Launchpad.
Lead vocalist Tom Farrelly said: “We got to meet a couple of the patrons at the Big Sleep Out, Matt Allwright, who’s a real sweetheart, was presenting along with Danyl Johnson.
“We were really taken with the staff’s dedication and passion and came away thinking about how we could help Launchpad even more.
“We had a Christmas song that we never thought we were going to release, but it was a really nice single, and so we decided to dedicate it to Launchpad.”
The Christmas Song (Stranger to the Cold) is the result, and while it touches on serious themes, it also embraces the usual trappings of the Christmas single.
Cams and Tom started writing it around Christmas last year and are grateful to the producers and mixers who gave their time to help with the single.
“We’ve got a really great team – Colin from Right Track, our producer Michael who agreed to mix, and Dean Nelson who runs Generation Studios, who offered his time and experience,” said Tom.
Kirsti Wilson, Head of Marketing and Fundraising at Launchpad, said: “At the Big Sleep Out, where people sleep outside to get a taste of what homelessness is actually like, we asked if they would come and play, and they were amazing – then they contacted us about releasing the single, and we were very excited.
“They told us they were blown away by the team and what we did, so they said they wanted to do what they could to help. Third Lung are asking people to listen to their new Christmas song and then donate via their JustGiving page to support Launchpad. The band have already raised over £400 and we are so very grateful.”
She said that having support from the band is “phenomenal”, as the number of people who are seeking support from us is going up.
“The profile of who we are seeing is changing as well – people with mortgages, people who are working, families, so a lot of what we’re doing is about telling people that we’re here and that we can help,” said Kirsti.
“We try to prevent homelessness happening in the first place; the sooner someone can get help and support and stop it from becoming a crisis, the better.”
The Christmas Song (Stranger to the Cold) is available to stream now https://ingrv.es/the-christmas-song-taf-9
Third Lung’s fundraising page in aid of Launchpad is
https://www.justgiving.com/page/thechristmassongforlaunchpad