Local schools invited to take part in Song for Christmas 2024

Salisbury Radio's hugely popular festive competition, Song for Christmas, is back for 2024. It is open to all local primary-aged schools.

Back for its third year, Salisbury Radio's Song for Christmas is again being run in partnership with Elite Care of Salisbury. Thanks to their backing, we have some incredible book vouchers to give to the school, which our judges pick as their favourite festive song. 

The winning school will have £250 to spend on brand new books for their school library, and the first runners-up will also receive £150 in vouchers. 

Last year, 20 local primary and infant schools took part, and this year, we have room for more. It is hoped a brand new song will be played every day in December up until the winner is announced on Christmas Eve. 

Woodlands Primary School won last year's competition with its rendition of 'Walking in the Air'. The performance blew our judges away, narrowly pipping Alderbury & West Grimstead Primary School into second place. After winning the competition in 2023, Woodlands head Matthew Kitley said, “Well, this is fantastic news; it means the world to the children. They have worked so hard. All of our year five and year six form our school choir.

The Woodlands choir celebrated their win with the whole school during a special assembly by performing the song before head judge Anne Munns presented them with their book vouchers and the Song for Christmas trophy.

For the competition, Salisbury Radio visits each participating school to record that school's 'Song for Christmas'. The local radio station then plays one song a day during December in the run-up to Christmas.

They assemble a panel of judges made up of former local head teachers who listen to the songs blind. They don't know which school has sung each song, so they give each a score. The song with the highest score wins the competition. 

Once again, Salisbury Radio is also organising two carol concerts for the local schools to perform in. These will take place at Sarum Academy in mid-December in the large performance hall at the secondary school on Bemerton Heath. The concerts unite the school communities and give the children the chance to perform in front of other schools and their families. One teacher involved said last year's concerts made their pupils "feel like rockstars".

Andy Munns from Salisbury Radio said, "This is one of the best things we do each year. It's so much fun and helps spread some festive joy across Salisbury, South Wiltshire, and West Hampshire. 

"We had such a lovely variety of songs last year, and you can hear how much fun the children have when we record their songs. The concerts last year were excellent; we hope to improve them this year.

"I have to say a massive thank you to Magna Learning Partnership and Sarum Academy, who allowed us to use their facilities for the concerts, and also to the schools for bringing the magic with their take on Christmas songs—it's amazing!"

During the competition, Song for Christmas will make all the songs available for download for a donation of £1; this, combined with the money collected at the carol concerts, will be donated to Salisbury Foodbank. 

Andy added, "This is a community event, and it's important to us that we use it to do good for the community, too. It will be great to do a little extra to support Salisbury's foodbanks at one of their busiest times of the year."

Schools can sign up for Song for Christmas by completing the form below:

You can listen to last year's winning song here: