Caden Beggan's friends from Ladywell Primary storm up iTunes chart with tribute single Oh Holy Night

Nov 28 2012 by Maria Smith, Wishaw Press

P2 friends of Caden Beggan from Ladywell Primary

Classmates of tragic schoolboy Caden Beggan could be on track for a Christmas hit after releasing a single to raise funds in his memory.

Primary two pupils from Ladywell Primary School in Motherwell released their rendition of the classic carol Oh Holy Night to benefit the Meningitis Research Fund.

The single sold quickly after its release on November 21 and broke into the top twenty downloads on the iTunes chart soon after, reaching number 16 this week.

Pat Ashworth, the school’s head teacher, said: “We hoped to sell a few hundred downloads to parents and family but we never expected it to go so high into the charts in such a short time.

“It’s absolutely incredible and is due to the tremendous public support shown to Caden’s family through Facebook and in the media.

“I would like to thank everyone who has downloaded our song, and perhaps with so much support, maybe we could have a Christmas number one - that would be very special.”

After recording the song as part of a Christmas CD, pupils suggested the track be uploaded onto iTunes.

Another track recorded by the school children for the CD, If I Were a Butterfly, was one of Caden’s favourites and was played at his funeral service on Monday.

Ninety per cent of the funds raised from sales of Oh Holy Night will go towards researching the illness which claimed the life of the six-year-old, while the remaining 10 per cent will go towards helping school funds.