MSE News

Martin Lewis: Yes I'm singing (if you can call it that) for Food Aid & the Trussell Trust this Xmas

Money Saving Expert

13 December 2022

About six weeks ago Mark and Roxanne Hoyle (LadBaby) contacted my team to ask if I'd join them in a reworking of Band Aid (with Bob Geldof and Midge Ure's permission) – I thought they'd confused me with someone else.

For those who, like me, don't follow the charts, they've had the last four Christmas chart toppers with novelty sausage roll themed covers. Of course, the nearest I've ever got to thinking about a Christmas number 1 is going to the loo after too much orange juice on the 25th. Yet when I learnt it was for the Trussell Trust, a hugely important food bank charity I've a long history with, I felt it would be churlish to say no. So a few weeks ago I went along to the recording studio, sang Amy Wadge's new lyrics, and gave it a go.

This is because shining a spotlight on UK food poverty is needed right now. Advice charities and food banks are swamped. Deficit budgeting is becoming more common - meaning even after everything has been cut to the bone, people still have less income than expenditure. So the sad, terrible, need to help and support people struggling across the UK is profound. I hope taking part will have a positive outcome of raising awareness of the difficulties some in our country find themselves in, and also raise some cash for the Trussell Trust and Band Aid charities too. Sorry about the singing!

Hate the whole novelty Christmas song thing, but want to help? No worries. If you can afford it, you could just bypass the song and donate straight to the Trussell Trust or your local food bank (or perhaps volunteer).
Want the song? It's a 99p pre-order released Friday on iTunes, Amazon Music or direct. All profits go to charity (so after some record company costs, VAT, and music seller's cut – last year the charity got £97,000 from the song), or you could just stream it.

And here's what Emma Revie, CEO of the Trussell Trust has said: "Between April and September this year, food banks in the Trussell Trust network provided 1.3 million emergency food parcels to people facing hardship. Soaring food and fuel costs are affecting us all, but for families on the very lowest incomes this crisis means so much more and more people are likely to need a food bank’s help. Food bank teams are working tirelessly to ensure help continues to be available. But ultimately, no one in the UK should need a food bank – all of us should have enough money for the essentials like food, clothing and heating. The support of LadBaby and the Band Aid Trust will help food banks within our network continue to provide the lifeline of emergency support for local people in crisis, while we work in the long term to end the need for food banks, for good. Thank you so much."