The Ayrshire community has come together to produce a charity Christmas single in aid of Whiteleys Retreat, with the song set to launch on Thursday, November 12.
Titled 'Kindness is Everything,' the festive tune was created by musician, songwriter and teacher Scott Nicol. Colin Hyslop, from Colin Hyslop Photography, helped produce the video, filmed at Venue 38 in Ayr. The pair began working on the project around this time last year, and their efforts have now come to fruition.
The Sunshine Collective
A large number of Ayrshire people were involved in making the single, with the group dubbed 'The Sunshine Collective.' Rhona Allanach, from the Prestwick Town Twinning Association, said: "A lot of our members and local people were involved in this project. It's an excellent cause and a big effort was made by quite a number of folk to make this happen."
Allanach added: "Musician, songwriter and teacher Scott Nicol and Colin Hyslop Photography brought together their experience to make this charity fundraiser single. They started it at this time last year. This catchy tune was learned by many of Scott's students and adults within the community. They all volunteered their time and had lots of fun recording and filming this. It is such a happy story and most uplifting tune. When people come together for the common good you cannot beat it. This is a heart warming project at a time when there is so much bad news."
Behind the Scenes
Colin Hyslop shared details of the project on social media. He said on Monday: "Over the course of the past 12 months, I have been helping my friend Scott Nicol Music with the creation of a music video for a song he has written for the Ayrshire-based children's charity, Whiteleys Retreat. Today the music video we created goes live on YouTube and we are delighted to get this out for all to see."
Hyslop added: "The song is excellent and the input from friends and those involved at Whiteleys Retreat means that this deserves to be heard far wider than the local area. Stick around at the end to see a well known red-nosed reindeer!" He also thanked Sam Gallacher at EssGee Studios for his production work, saying: "I'm very proud of this video and everyone involved in bringing this together should be as well."
Scott Nicol, from Prestwick, who runs a small music business called Possibility Screams, said he received help from his supporters and students to complete the song. He revealed: "At the start of this project I didn't realise the amount of hard work that had to go into it, but the song and video sound great and look great. I work with a lot of musicians and a lot of young people and I managed to gather them together, along with choir help, and I am very proud of what we have all achieved. Hopefully we can make a decent amount of money for Whiteleys Retreat for Christmas."
How to Support
From the official launch on November 12, the song can be digitally downloaded via Bandcamp. A 30-second clip is currently available on Bandcamp for a sneak preview. The full song and video are available on YouTube. A digital download can be made for a small fee, with an option to donate more.
Whiteleys Retreat is a Scottish Charity based in Ayrshire providing free respite breaks and extended support to children and their families facing cancer or life-altering illnesses. The charity is also hosting a Christmas Movie Screening at Ayr Town Hall on Sunday, November 15, featuring Home Alone 2: Lost in New York. Attendees will be able to find out more about the Christmas charity single on the day.
