Scots rockers aim for Christmas Number 1 in aid of MS

West Lothian rockers The King Lot were approached by local social group The Jolly Boys to team up and record a single to raise awareness and funds for MS.

The ambitious attempt has caught the attention of bookies Paddy Power who has placed the group second behind the X Factor with 10/1 odds on them clinching the coveted top spot this Christmas.

The group are now hard at work recording their cover of ‘Wings’ by American rock band Tyketto, which will be available on pre order from 14 November.

The King Lot and The Jolly Boys hope that everyone will get behind their journey to Number 1 and help raise awareness of multiple sclerosis (MS) - a neurological condition which affects more than 11,000 people in Scotland and over 100,000 people in the UK.

Edinburgh's The Dome raises thousands for MS charity

Football-mad group The Jolly Boys have already raised over £2,000 for MS Society Scotland through various fundraising events, and are looking forward to testing out their vocals for their starring parts in the song.

Tony Green of The Jolly Boys, said: “As The MS Society is The Jolly Boys chosen charity for 2016, we wanted to do something that would raise the most money and awareness. Our friends The King Lot were excited about the cause and we decided to give it our best and get together for Christmas.

“For The Jolly Boys, this is a chance to prove that whatever age, background or mobility level, music can be a great leveller. We are really looking forward to going into the studio and having some fun with it.”

Tony added: “Singing with The King Lot will be amazing and hitting their musical standards will be a big challenge for us but we all have the one aim to go for the Xmas number 1 on behalf of the MS society and that will drive us through. If it all comes together there will be a huge wave of support for the MS Society.”

The King Lot’s drummer Chris Gillon said: “When the Jolly Boys asked if we’d like to be involved, I think it took us all of two seconds to reply yes.

“The fact we would be raising funds for the MS Society and people living with MS was a huge factor in our decision to get involved, because some of us have personal connections to MS.”

“We were quite stunned but obviously delighted with the odds. We expected our odds to be very long but when you consider the numbers in terms of support for this it does make a lot of sense.

“It very quickly made the whole thing real. Getting it there is a whole different thing but we will give every last drop of energy to make sure we achieve the goal.”

Morna Simpkins, director for MS Society Scotland, said: “We are delighted that The King Lot featuring The Jolly Boys are bidding for the Christmas Number 1 slot in aid of the MS Society.

“This is a fundraising venture which is fun, unique and something which we can all get involved in by purchasing the single. MS is unpredictable condition which can cause pain, sight problems and fatigue.

“For more than 11,000 people in Scotland, living with the neurological condition is a daily reality – so every download of ‘Wings’ contributes to funding research, staffing our helpline or enabling our grants team to give awards.”

Morna added: “We wish the both The King Lot and The Jolly Boys the very best of luck and would like to thank them once again for their passion, hard work and dedication in raising awareness of MS on such a large scale.”

MS affects more than 100,000 of us in the UK and its symptoms typically appear when people are in their 20s or 30s.

MS attacks the nervous system. Symptoms include sight loss, pain, fatigue, incontinence and disability. It is unpredictable – one day you can be fine, the next you might lose your sight or be unable to move.

•

’Like’ The Scotsman on Facebook for regular updates

DOWNLOAD THE SCOTSMAN APP ON ITUNES OR GOOGLE PLAY