MOVE over Wham! A set of Year 3 pupils from a Darwen primary school have created an online hit of their own with their coronavirus-inspired version of Last Christmas.

Teacher Ian Thomson from Ashleigh School has created a stir on YouTube by getting the ‘Frogs’ class to perform new lyrics for the 1984 hit and has called it This Christmas (We May Be Apart).

Socially-distanced, the children sing about the ‘Covid bug means they are staying away’ and ‘spending their time in a bubble’.

Headteacher Ian Matthews said it was great to see the children being positive about coronavirus.

He said: “The children normally have carol services and other Christmas events but we cannot do that because of the pandemic.

“We thought it would be good to have something they could share with their parents and family. One of our teachers put different words to it and the kids loved to sing it.

“Our children love performing and it has been a long tradition to perform at this time of year.

“It has been a tough year for all the kids and they have loved coming back to school and are grateful to be back and parents have told us that.

“Although the kids may have stayed in contact during lockdown on social media, when they came back in September they have gone back to establishing those friendships they have had over the years.

“They have shown great resilience while we have done new things in school to cut down on the risk of transmission. Thankfully we have tried to make sure it looks normal to them.”

Mr Matthews added that people can take inspiration from their enthusiasm.

“Although it has been a dark time for everyone, the children have given a lighter side of things and are very optimistic about the future. Adults tend to worry about things but these future generations can show us the way.”

n To watch the video visit: https://youtu.be/0yIdsOCZzqQ