A MUSICIAN has re-worked his own version of a Christmas pop classic to raise £10,000 for homelessness charities in the North-East.

Band Aid’s Do They Know It’s Christmas? has been given a new twist by County Durham singer Nicky Robinson, known as Nicky Re, from Thornley.

Working with a number of musicians from the North-East, they have recorded their version of the song, rebranded it as Project Aid and have released it online in a bid to raise money for homelessness charities.

The 22-year-old, who also works as a sales executive, said: “I thought about doing it for a while. I’m sick of walking past people in the street and not being able to do anything.

“You can give them money but it doesn’t get them off the street. I thought it I could create something it was a chance to do a bit and donate the money to homelessness charities.

“No-one would want to be homeless. You can see how bad it is out there.”

The other artists involved are Consett singer Bryoni Askew, 16, Therese Carroll, from Newcastle, Craig Riley, from Middlesbrough, Kati Gill, Sarah Coleman and rapper Kye Huggins, from York, who wrote an extra rap about homelessness. Lyrics were rewritten by songwriter Amber Woollett, 22, from Brandon, near Durham.

They are hoping to raise £10,000, with all the proceeds being split between Newcastle-based North East Homeless and Durham Action on Single Housing (DASH), which works in Durham city.

They have so far raised around £1,000 and Mr Robinson is also organising a raffle.

The video can be viewed by visiting his Facebook page, Nicky Re Music and donations can be made via www.justigiving.com/crowdfunding/nickyre.