A BUSINESSMAN and 10 musicians from across Ryedale have recorded a single to raise money for charity.

Malton man Rob Davies, 57, who organises Ryedale Live, has produced 500 copies of ‘I’ll Never Find the Time to Write a Song’, which he wrote with Rillington headteacher David Swann, and is now giving them away in return for donations to Ryedale Special Families.

Rob came up with the idea after feeling frustrated that he was too busy to make it to any of the meetings of the Ryedale Live Song-writing Circle.

He said: “I was just too busy for one reason or another, but then I woke up one morning and I had the lyrics in my head for a song all about being too busy.”

After working on the lyrics for a few hours, Rob rang his friend David Swann, who composed the tune.

Once the basic outline of the song was finished, he met musicians Maggie Aldred, from York, David Quinn and Alison Lawson, from Pickering, Nick Staley,from Sinnington, Lynn Sunlet, Carolyn Jarvis and Amy Jarvis, from Farndale, Rachel Shackleton, from Kirkbymoorside, and Rachel Reynolds, from Helmsley, for a brain-storming session in the pub.

As a group, they added several new features to the song, including four-part harmonies, humorous backing vocals and an Irish penny whistle accompaniment.

On Sunday, the group of musicians went to Melrose Yard Recording Studios in York to record the song, and an initial run of 500 CDs was produced.

Rob intends to give the CDs away in return for donations to his latest project, climbing Mount Kilimanjaro. Later this year, Rob will climb the mountain and work in a school in Tanzania.

He has set himself the challenge of raising £1 for each of the 5,895 miles he must climb, all of which will go straight to Ryedale Special Families, as he is paying for the trip out of his own pocket.

Rob said: “Ryedale Special Families is a great charity and they are lovely people – I enjoy working with them.

“They had a really hard time last year, as many small charities did with the credit crunch and the recession, so to be able to help them now is fantastic.”

To get a copy of the CD, and to make a donation, contact Rob on 01653 690503, email email@ryedalelive.co.uk, or pop into the Ryedale Special Families office at 121 Town St in Old Malton.