Harrogate's first-ever Christmas song is praised in Parliament for promoting the town in festive season

After being launched less than a week in a packed event at the Yorkshire Hotel, Merry Christmas Harrogate has scored 7,000 views on Youtube.

It’s also being downloaded on Spotify and Apple Music and featured on BBC Look North.

Performed by The Straymen, a group of local musicians who formed specially for the song, and co-written by Simon Cotton and Joe Pearce of the Yorkshire Hotel, the catchy festive song has also made an impact at Westminster where the town’s Lib Dem MP Tom Gordon submitted a Parliamentary Motion earlier in the week praising Merry Christmas Harrogate for promoting the town.

Mr Gordon said: “I wanted to recognise the hard work of all involved in producing this single by putting forward a motion to Parliament. It is about celebrating all that Harrogate is at Christmas.

“It’s a great way to promote the town.

"I hope that many people will watch it and come to Harrogate to see for themselves what a great town it is.”

Backed by Harrogate BID, the song’s coordinator Simon Cotton, MD of the HRH Group, which owns The Yorkshire Hotel, The White Hart, the Pickled Sprout and Fat Badger, said he was delighted Harrogate’s musical festive effort was “gaining some reach”.

To keep Merry Christmas Harrogate in the public eye, Mr Cotton now intends to launch a competition to encourage people to like/share the track.