A York singer is gearing up to launch her very own musical advent calendar.
Popular musician Holly Taymar will launch her fundraising ‘Jukebox Challenge’ on Saturday (December 1).
The idea is simple
- Between December 1 and 25, Holly performs a different well-known song each day at the request of friends and family
- In exchange for a charity donation, Holly will record and upload her version of the requested song to her YouTube channel
- Requesters are free to choose any song they’d like to hear – and they can also dedicate their song to a loved one if they wish
Raised £1,500 so far
Holly is a singer and guitarist from South Bank who also performs with husband Chris Bilton in duo The Bronze.
She came up with the idea of the Jukebox Challenge in 2016, to give her a focus after her brother died.
The challenge was so successful that she decided to make it an annual event. To date, she has learnt 51 new songs and raised over £1,500 in donations for mental health charity York Mind.
Holly said:
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Winter can be a hard time for lots of us, and I knew that I would need something to keep my mind occupied the first Christmas after I lost my brother.
This Jukebox Challenge combines all of my different passions – challenging myself to learn new songs, having a laugh and fundraising for a cause I really care about.
Bat Outta Hell
In the past she has performed acoustic versions of songs including Meat Loaf’s Bat Outta Hell and the Pussycat Dolls’ Don’t Cha, but the requests are always full of surprises.
While all of the request slots have been taken for 2018, Holly’s encouraging more people to join her and support her Jukebox Challenge online.
All videos are made available for the public to view. A new song will be uploaded each day between 1st – 25th December 1 and 25, and will remain online from then on.
- To make a donation towards Holly’s fundraising, find her JustGiving page here
- York Mind supports around 2,000 people in York every year, and needs to constantly raise funds to support individuals to continue their lives with a variety of mental health conditions