Fly Them Home For Christmas, a parody version of Driving Home For Christmas by Sir Starmer and the Granny Harmers, has broken into the iTunes Top 100 and already raised more than £4,000 for Helping Homeless Veterans UK.
A charity Christmas single supporting homeless British veterans has entered the UK iTunes charts just days after release, despite receiving no mainstream airtime.
Fly Them Home For Christmas, performed by satirical group Sir Starmer and the Granny Harmers, has already raised more than £4,000 for Helping Homeless Veterans UK.
Released on Friday 5 December, the track entered the iTunes chart within hours and today reached number 54, driven entirely by public downloads and online support.
The release follows last year’s charity track, Freezing This Christmas, which reached number one on the Official Download and Sales charts, and made the UK Top 40 at Christmas, raised over £80,000 for charity despite minimal mainstream coverage.
Supporters argue the song resonated because it reflected frustrations many felt were ignored by broadcasters and political institutions. They say Fly Them Home For Christmas continues the same theme, focusing this time on the treatment of veterans.
The song’s music video and lyrics take a satirical tone, contrasting the treatment of asylum seekers with conditions faced by some who served in the British Armed Forces.
A featured lyric reads:
“Pensioners in cold homes
Oh homeless vets are all around
But there’s room in a four-star, yeah
When the boats hit solid ground.”
Recent figures highlight the scale of the issue the track addresses. Government data shows that more than 32,000 asylum seekers were being housed in taxpayer-funded hotels as of March 2025, with an estimated £2.1 billion spent on hotel accommodation for asylum seekers in the 2024–25 period.
Meanwhile, surveys of former service personnel indicate that although only a minority report being formally homeless, many experience unstable housing, temporary accommodation or financial insecurity after leaving the Armed Forces.
Supporters argue that this imbalance reflects a wider shift in national priorities, and say the song gives voice to growing public frustration.
Speaking about the project, creator of the band independent journalist Chris Middleton said:
“This is about priorities. Britain can find billions for hotel rooms for people who have arrived illegally on small boats, yet men and women who served this country are sleeping rough. People are tired of seeing the imbalance. The song gave them a way to express that feeling.”
Helping Homeless Veterans UK provides emergency accommodation, food, clothing and ongoing support to former service personnel. All proceeds from the single will go directly to the charity.
The song continues to climb the charts as downloads increase and social media momentum builds.
Watch the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=egNQdEhh-gA
Buy the single on iTunes here: https://music.apple.com/gb/album/fly-them-home-for-christmas-single/1858224691?app=itunes
Donate directly here
