A Penrith man is hoping he could have a Christmas number one on his hands after making it through to the semi-finals of a UK-wide songwriting competition.
Al Hayward, who is the manager of Penrith adult learning for Westmorland and Furness Council, has two Christmas songs entered in the prestigious UK Songwriting Contest, Save Me A Place and My Magic Christmas Tree, which have been co-written with his brother, Adrian.
“When I was writing Save Me A Place I had a job in the Middle East teaching English, so I was in a country where it was business as usual and there was no difference when it was Christmas Day,” said Al.
The song expresses the feelings of someone who has been away for too many Christmases.
Travelling home for the first time in years, he reminisces about all he’s missed and what he is most looking forward to.
Al said he was longing to be home for the festive season with family and friends – and was inspired to express it in song.
“For those who are away, working late or travelling home, this song offers hope that everyone can raise a glass together at Christmas,” said Al.
It’s along the lines of Perry Como, who had a hit with It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas, Andy Williams and Frank Sinatra – a classic Christmas sound.
When asked if he could have a potential Christmas number one on his hands, Al said: “I hope so. It is always nice for your first song to be a number one.”
Al – who is also creating an AI persona called Noel Garland – is now hoping to hear that the songs have reached the finals of the
songwriting contest formed with The Brit Trust from the annual Brit Awards.
Save Me a Place can be found at bit.ly/SMAP-YT while My Magic Christmas Tree can be accessed via bit.ly/MMCT-YT online.
