LADBABY ANNOUNCE ‘FOOD AID’ A REWORK BAND AID FT MARTIN LEWIS

Chart topping social media stars and charity campaigners LadBaby aka Mark and Roxanne Hoyle are set to make history becoming the first ever act to be allowed to rework the iconic Band Aid song ‘Do They Know it’s Christmas’.

“Food Aid”, released on 16th December will feature Money Saving Expert Martin Lewis plus a variety of yet to be announced musical collaborators. As the cost of living crisis spirals, LadBaby and Martin Lewis are aiming to raise as much money as possible to help tackle hunger and poverty.

The track is available to pre-order from today .

100% of profits from the song will be donated towards the fight against hunger and poverty. 50% will go to the Trussell Trust and 50% will be donated to the Band Aid Trust.

The track was rewritten with kind permission from Bob Geldof, Midge Ure and the Band Aid Trust. To rework the track, Mark and Roxanne teamed up with Grammy winner Amy Wadge, one of the UK’s most prolific contemporary songwriters, known for her long established writing partnership with Ed Sheeran and this year’s UK Eurovision entry, to rewrite the festive song with a touch of the tongue-in- cheek humour that LadBaby are renowned for.

Mark and Roxanne said, “We never intended to release a 5th Christmas single but as ambassadors of the Trussell Trust we were not prepared to sit back and do nothing in a year when people are struggling more than ever.

The Trussell Trust, which supports more than 1,300 food bank centres, has told us that the cost of living emergency has created a ‘tsunami of need’, as people struggle to survive amidst the soaring costs of living. With need outstripping donations for the first time in its history, we need to help ensure that food banks keep going this winter.
Working households, families and disabled people are all really struggling.
So, a few months ago we approached Bob Geldof and Midge Ure and the Band Aid Trust to ask permission to rework the most iconic Christmas track of all time ‘Do They Know it’s Christmas’. And we were truly honoured when they said yes! So today we are announcing ‘Food Aid’ to raise as much money as we possibly can for the Trussell Trust and the Band Aid Trust.

We knew we needed to enlist an icon to launch this year’s campaign, and we’re so excited to announce that the people’s champion and fellow supporter of the Trussell Trust Martin Lewis is joining us on this year’s track. An exciting variety of yet to be announced musical collaborators will also be announced in due course!

We HAVE to do whatever it takes to build a future where all of us can afford to go to sleep with a full stomach. We hope everyone can support us as much as they can!”

Martin Lewis says, “When Mark and Roxanne contacted me out-of-the-blue to ask if I’d join them in Food Aid I thought they’d confused me with someone else. The nearest I’ve ever got to thinking about a Christmas number one is going to the loo on Boxing Day after too much orange juice the day before. Yet once I knew they were serious, and it was for the Trussell Trust, a hugely important charity I’ve a history with, I decided to give it a go, and do it with gusto.”

“This has been a tough year for many, prices have rocketed. 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. It’s going to be a tough winter, and things aren’t likely to ease much in 2023. So the need to help and support people struggling across the UK is profound. Hopefully this Ladbaby song and their lyrics will raise some cash and awareness.”

Emma Revie, CEO of the Trussell Trust said:
“We are so grateful to LadBaby for their incredible support for a fifth year running. 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”

The Hoyle’s are keen to use their social media platforms of over 13 million followers for good, especially when so many families across the nation are struggling. Mark and Roxanne will support the Trussell Trust with both fundraising and awareness campaigns. Through their Christmas chart topping endeavours where they’ve donated 100% of the songs profits and branded partnerships, the couple have already raised over £1.2 million for the Trussell Trust through their charity singles and brand partnerships, but as the cost of living crisis gets worse they are committed to do even more to help.

Now, more than ever, food banks in the Trussell Trust’s network need vital funds to support people struggling to afford the essentials. Figures released by the charity just a few weeks ago revealed that food banks in its network across the UK provided around five emergency food parcels a minute as families struggled to afford to feed themselves.

More emergency food parcels were given out during the April to September 2022 period than ever before for this time of year. Over the last six months, more than 320,000 people have been forced to turn to food banks in the Trussell Trust network for the first time.

For the first time, the need for emergency food is outstripping donations as the cost of living emergency is leading to a drastic increase in the number of people turning to food banks for support.

New figures from the Trussell Trust show more emergency food parcels were given out during the April to September period than ever before. Food banks in the Trussell Trust’s UK-wide network distributed 1.3 million food parcels to people facing hardship – this is an increase of 52% compared to the same period in 2019. Half a million of these parcels were distributed to children. One in five people referred to food banks in the Trussell Trust network are in working households.

LadBaby have surpassed the Beatles and the Spice Girls as the act with the most consecutive Christmas number ones in a row. The duo first topped the chart in 2018 with We Built This City, a cover of Starship’s 1985 hit; followed by I Love Sausage Rolls, their take on The Arrows / Joan Jett’s I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll; Don’t Stop Me Eatin’, a cheeky version of Journey’s beloved power ballad and last year topped the chart with ‘Sausage Rolls For Everyone’, the duo’s collaboration with Ed Sheeran and Sir Elton John.