The whole of Sheffield is coming together to back a bid by firefighters to reach the top of the festive charts, thirty five years after the city celebrated its last Christmas number one.
Red watch firefighters and 999 operators from South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue’s Central fire station have teamed up with the Everly Pregnant Brothers to release ‘Chip Pan’- a tongue-in-cheek reworking of a chart hit which tells the cautionary tale of a man who sets his house alight after a night out drinking.
Big Sheffield brands Henderson’s Relish, Meadowhall and Thornbridge Brewery are the latest to have got behind the Christmas chart crusade.
Celebrity backers include US Open Champion Danny Willett, city songstress Lucy Spraggan and former cricketer Michael Vaughan who have all shared a video of the track online, helping it to clock up millions of views.
The song- available to download this week- is raising money for Age UK and Shelter.
The last time Sheffield reached the festive song summit was in 1981 with the Human League’s ‘Don’t You Want Me’.
Councillor Julie Dore, Leader of Sheffield City Council, said: “The whole city is getting behind South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue, and the Everly Pregnant Brothers, in their bid for the Christmas number one slot. I would love to see them make it to the top of the charts. Good luck from everyone here at Sheffield City Council.”
Assistant Chief Fire Officer Martin Blunden, said: “We’re going for Christmas number one to remind people that tens of thousands of firefighters and other emergency services staff across the country will be working this Christmas Day to keep you safe, including red watch firefighters and control staff who helped to make the video which accompanies the song. Hopefully it will also raise lots of money for charity and heighten public awareness of an important safety message in a slightly unusual way.”
Chip Pan’ by the Everly Pregnant Brothers is available to download for 99p on iTunes, Google Play Music, Amazon, Spotify and Deezer.
The public are asked to download the track between now and midnight on Thursday 22 December, with the Christmas chart announced the next day.