Young Voices Songs of Praise


Young Voices

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With just 10 days until Christmas, our thoughts turn to children,

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and not just to the ones getting the presents,

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but to the baby at the heart of Christmas

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and the glorious message he brought of peace and goodwill to all.

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We're at St Oswald and St Edmund Arrowsmith Catholic church

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for tonight's Songs of Praise

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to celebrate with the young people of Wigan

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and to hear how they're making a difference in their own community

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in the true spirit of Christmas.

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So join us as we sing some wonderful carols by candlelight.

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As the big day nears, we're bringing the young people

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of Wigan together for a Christmas treat.

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We'll be finding out how Wigan's youth are using faith

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and music to make a difference in their town.

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# The first Nowell

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# The angel did say

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# Was to certain poor shepherds in fields as they lay

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# In fields where they

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# Lay keeping their sheep

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# On a cold winter's night

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# That was so deep... #

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Thanks very much to Louisa

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for leading us in that first carol so beautifully.

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We'll be hearing from her a bit later on.

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We're surrounded by talented musicians tonight.

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One of them is right here, Josh Hales.

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He's playing the organ for us this evening.

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And you're a graduate of the Wigan Music Service.

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How early did you start with that?

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I was eight years old when I started playing the cornet.

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The Wigan Music Service were brilliant. They came into school

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and they played various pieces on their brass instruments,

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but also had a hosepipe with a mouthpiece attached,

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which we got to have a go at.

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And I went home and I just said I'd really like to try the cornet.

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-Bit of a leap from the cornet to the organ.

-Yeah.

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I went to a brass band concert

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and they played a piece that was an arrangement of an organ piece

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and I bought a CD of that on the organ

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and thought I'd really like to have a go at that.

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And now you're a full-time organist

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and able to play that wonderful repertoire of religious music.

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What does that mean to you?

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Well, it means an awful lot.

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I find it very moving, to be honest, often. In all sorts of contexts.

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Sometimes I can find it moving to play a really sort of quiet,

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prayerful verse of a psalm,

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but other times, it's so exhilarating

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to accompany a full church or a cathedral of people, full organ.

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Thanks very much, Josh.

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And Josh is going to be playing for us again now.

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Some of us will have learned this next carol at school,

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so we're hoping for some very enthusiastic singing

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from the young choirs who are with us this evening.

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It's the Calypso Carol.

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At nearby St Edmund Arrowsmith High School,

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a thriving school group aims to get pupils more involved at church.

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One of the pupils, Callum, is our young reporter.

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Welcome to our IMPACT group.

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It might look and sound like chaos,

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but trust me, we know what we're doing.

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So we've got Tom, as well.

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Has anybody got any other ideas of how we can advertise?

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IMPACT stands for Involving More People At Church Today.

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Everyone needs to like our Facebook page.

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It's basically about getting the youth involved in the local churches.

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So what we do as our group is we plan our own Mass,

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but we also include something like a social section of the day.

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It's a case of bonding, really,

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getting to know the other members of the youth in the parish.

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On Sunday, before the Mass, we gather together and celebrate.

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We have lots of delicious cakes.

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A group of last year's Year 11s have come along today

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to share in this experience of our Mass.

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They were key members in setting up the IMPACT group

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and since they've left, we've carried on

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what they originally set out to do.

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We first went to an archdiocese conference in Liverpool

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and we were, like, inspired by the good works

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of all the charities there,

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so we decided that we wanted to form a group in school

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that would help and get more young people starting church.

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So that was when we came up with IMPACT.

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Why do you think IMPACT's been such a success?

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I think IMPACT's been a success because it's a one-of-a-kind group.

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There's so many people involved that are dedicated to their faith.

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And they're very happy to stand up for what they believe in.

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It also shows willingness in the community that it's not just

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the older people that want to get involved, it's the children as well.

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And they all want to take an active role in their religion.

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We pray that as we move forward on our journey as the IMPACT Group,

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we will come to know what the Lord is asking of us.

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Everyone's practised their parts. Now, it's time for Mass.

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It was Heaven that gave me these limbs.

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For the sake of His laws, I disdain them.

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ALL: I shall be filled, when I awake,

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with the sight of your glory, O Lord.

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It was really nice to see so many young people

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because I think that's something that we lack at times.

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And I think it brought a lot of youthful energy into the church.

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'It's a very good sign. I only wish we could have these'

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kind of services more often.

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Having successfully arranged their own Mass,

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the IMPACT Group have even loftier ambitions now.

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'We've had a brilliant idea in IMPACT. We've had the idea'

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to take our group out into the community and spread the word

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of what IMPACT does.

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# Hark the herald... #

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'The plan is a flash mob in our town centre of Wigan.

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'One person will start singing a Christmas carol

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'and hopefully - fingers crossed! -

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'more and more people will begin to join in'

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and it will eventually be brilliant.

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So, can the IMPACT Group organise their own festive flash mob

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in Wigan town centre? Just wait and see.

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Up and down the country, families are busy preparing for the big day.

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But some people are facing Christmas with trepidation,

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rather than expectation.

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This year, Georgina and her mum will face their first Christmas

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without Steve, the dad who's always been at the centre of their family.

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Tell me a bit about your dad. I mean, I'm looking at him there,

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great photograph of him. What was he like?

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He was always a really happy person.

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He was so enthusiastic about things. He was never pessimistic about life.

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He always took life as it came.

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How did you find out that he had cancer?

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He was diagnosed with a rare kind of cancer

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called a sarcoma which is a cancer of the soft tissue,

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and there was no cure.

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We kept trying, but we kind of knew that there wasn't really going

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to be any way to get through it.

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When he eventually did die, did you have a chance to say goodbye to him?

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Er, yeah. My mum came and asked me,

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did I want to go and say goodbye?

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Because we knew he wasn't going to last out the day.

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And just as we were leaving, the hospital rang us and told us

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to be quick because he was...he was going, and when we got there,

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he'd just gone.

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It was such a devastating moment for me, and I was crying.

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I was hugging him, I clutched him

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for about half an hour and I wouldn't let go.

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It was hard but I'd been taught well by my dad.

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My dad taught me to always get on with life

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and not to let anything stop me.

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# Think of me

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# Think of me fondly When we've said goodbye

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# Remember me every so often

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# Promise me you'll try... #

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And you were in the middle of your GCSEs at the time, weren't you?

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'My dad died on the Sunday and my next GCSE

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'was on the following Thursday,'

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which was for maths

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and I went into school the following day and my maths teacher told me,

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"You don't have to do this maths GCSE if you really don't want to."

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And I knew that my dad would've wanted me to do it.

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And I went and did it.

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# Stop and think of me. #

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-I came out with 195 out of 200 marks...

-Wow!

-..in that maths GCSE.

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Did you have a sense that you were doing it for him, in a sense?

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That was definitely the main thing that came into my head.

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And to what extent has your experience influenced the way

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that you see your own future?

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I want to be able to help other people who might be suffering

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with this kind of cancer.

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Even if it's not sarcomas, even if it's just any kind of cancer,

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so I'd like to go into a specialist area of being

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-a doctor, trained in cancer.

-What's kept you going through it all?

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'Definitely a big help has been my mum and also definitely my faith

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'because my faith has mainly come from how my dad taught me,

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'my Christian upbringing'

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and that faith in God has just really pulled me through

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and helped me to pray and helped me to get some sort of relief

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and some sort of comfort from knowing that my dad

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is still watching over me.

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# Star-Child Earth-Child

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# Go-between of God

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# Love child Christ child

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# Heaven's lightning rod

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# This year This year

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# Let the day arrive

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# When Christmas comes for everyone

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# Everyone alive... #

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# Grown child Old child

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# Memory full of years

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# Sad child Lost child

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# Story told in tears

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# This year This year

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# Let the day arrive

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# When Christmas comes for everyone

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# Everyone alive... #

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# Hope-for-peace child

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# God's stupendous sign

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# Down-to-earth child

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# Star of stars that shine

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# This year This year

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# Let the day arrive

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# When Christmas comes for everyone

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# Everyone alive. #

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ROCK MUSIC PLAYS

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The weekend's beginning for a group of Wigan's teenagers.

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# Go, go, go, go! #

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These young people are members of Two Twenty Youth,

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a church group exploring faith and forging friendships.

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-Emma's grown up with the church.

-'It's just a massive family.'

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You come and you just feel like you've come home.

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So you could've had a rubbish week, stuff's going wrong and stuff

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and you just feel totally accepted, totally at home.

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You learn more about God and passionate people

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and you just want to get to know them more.

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The group's part of Today's Community Church,

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a Christian community at the heart of Wigan. Nick joined two years ago.

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'Before I came, it always felt like I was searching for something

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'but never really getting that.'

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But now, coming to Two Twenty,

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that hole that was in my life is now made a whole.

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These kids don't just hang out with each other on a Friday night.

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The following day, they're out in Wigan High Street

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offering hugs and sweets to passers-by

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as well as a special Christmas message for the public.

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-Would you like some free sweets?

-Erm, yeah, go on, then.

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Great, brilliant. Nice one.

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I've been given a lollipop now and it says,

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"Don't just give a gift, be a gift."

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-That's brilliant, you know, that's a great ethos.

-Give of yourself.

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-Take a lolly?

-Oh, brilliant.

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I love just going out, being able to show people who God is,

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-who our church is, our youth is.

-Yeah.

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Nice to see stuff like that in the town and that,

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because the world can be an ugly place at times.

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-It's nice when people are giving free hugs. Can't do any harm, can it?

-Free sweets, lolly?

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I just think, you know, youth are so important and vital

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as part of the community. It's so important that we just keep

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being ourselves, being authentic and looking after people,

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and loving people.

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It says in the Bible that if you have faith as small as

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a mustard seed, that you can move mountains. And...mountains!

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It says in the Bible that everything's possible with God

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and I truly believe that.

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You've just got to have the faith in Him and the faith in yourself.

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# As I walked down the road at set of sun

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# The lambs were coming homeward one by one

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# I heard a sheepbell softly calling them

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# Along the little road to Bethlehem... #

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# Beside an open door as I drew nigh

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# I heard sweet Mary sing a lullaby

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# She sang about the lambs at close of day

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# And rocked her tiny King among the hay... #

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# Across the air The silver sheepbell rang

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# "The lambs are coming home," sweet Mary sang

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# "Your star of gold

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# "Your star of gold

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# "is shining in the sky

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# "So sleep, my little King

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# "Go lullaby"... #

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# As I walked down the road at set of sun

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# The lambs were coming homeward one by one

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# I heard a sheepbell softly calling them

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# Along the little road to Bethlehem. #

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As promised, the big moment has arrived for the IMPACT team

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from St Edmund Arrowsmith High School.

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Soon, these unsuspecting Wigan shoppers will be

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embroiled in a surprise singing extravaganza - hopefully!

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-Excited about today?

-Yeah, I can't wait.

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It's going to be really good.

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Even BBC Radio Manchester

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has got wind that something special's planned.

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-What about you, Joe?

-It'll be really good because the people of Wigan

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-are in for a big surprise when they found out what's in store for them.

-Ah, yes, exactly!

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A few minutes later, and the stage is set

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for brave soloist Lily and Sam on cornet.

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# Hark! The herald angels sing

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# Glory to the newborn King

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MORE BRASS AND VOICES JOIN: # Peace on earth and mercy mild

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# God and sinners reconciled

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# Joyful, all ye nations rise

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# Join the triumph of the skies

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# With the angelic host proclaim

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# Christ is born in Bethlehem

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# Hark! The herald angels sing

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# Glory to the newborn King

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# Hail the heaven-born Prince of Peace

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# Hail the Son of Righteousness

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# Light and life to all He brings

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# Risen with healing in His wings

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# Mild He lays His glory by

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# Born that man no more may die

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# Born to raise the sons of earth

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# Born to give them second birth

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# Hark! The herald angels sing

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# "Glory to the newborn King. #

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CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

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Amazing what can be achieved with a voice, bravery and belief.

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It's been fantastic this morning down here at the Wigan Grand Arcade.

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-Were you nervous?

-Yeah, but I was more excited, if anything.

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-And did it go well, Niamh?

-I think it did, yeah. I had lots of fun.

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'Inspire us with your Holy Spirit.'

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'Move our hearts closer to you.'

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'Preserve our faith.'

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'Assist us in our weakness.'

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ALL: 'Calm us in our fears, transform us and our world.'

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It's great to hear how many young people are making a difference,

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whether through their musical talents or through

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caring for others around them.

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We've certainly got Wigan singing and hopefully you, too

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as you join in this final carol. You're bound to know it.

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Next week, join Aled for The Big Sing Top Ten Carols

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from the Royal Albert Hall.

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Star guests and an audience of 5,000 voices sing the carols

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voted as the nation's favourites.

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To see if yours is among them, tune in next week.

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