Five service schoolgirls form Poppy Girls appeal

The daughters of five men serving in the Armed Forces form a new group, The Poppy Girls, to record this year's fundraising single for the Royal British Legion's poppy appeal

The Poppy Girls, from left: Megan Adams, Bethany Davy, Alice Milburn, Florence Ransom and Charlotte Mellor Photo: umusic/PA

By Jasper Copping

6:00AM BST 23 Oct 2013

Five schoolgirls with fathers serving in the military have joined up to record this year’s fundraising song for the Royal British Legion’s Poppy Appeal.

The Poppy Girls, aged from 10 to 17, were recruited following a search among forces families by the charity, along with executives from Decca Records.

They were selected following online auditions by more than 1,000 candidates, before a series of studio recordings to whittle down the final shortlist.

The group, Megan Adams, Florence Ransom, Alice Milburn, Bethany Davy and Charlotte Mellor – whose fathers serve in either the Royal Navy, Army or Royal Air Force – have recorded the single, “The Call (no need to say goodbye)”, which will be released on Remembrance Sunday, November 10.

The night before, they will perform in front of the Queen at the Festival of Remembrance, in the Royal Albert Hall. The event will be broadcast on BBC ONE, and is expected to have an audience of six million people.

The song was written by Regina Spektor, an American singer, and was used in the film “The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian”, which was release in 2008, based on the C.S. Lewis book.
Proceeds from the new single will go towards funding the Legion’s charitable work, providing welfare for thousands of serving and ex-service personnel.
The Legion has increasingly focused on music to help raise money for its annual poppy appeal. Previous acts to be involved include the Spice Girls, Westlife, SClub 7, Katherine Jenkins and The Saturdays.
Describing the new single, Charles Byrne, head of fundraising at the Royal British Legion, said: “This is a hauntingly beautiful track sung by a group of girls who know what it means to have family members constantly placed in harm’s way.
“We have a major theme in this year’s poppy appeal around families, so there is no more powerful way of reflecting that than through the voices of these exceptionally talented young people.”
Dickon Stainer, president of Decca Records, praised the girls’ “hard work, discipline and dedication”.
Decca, he said, was proud to support the project. “When you hear these young kids talk about their families and the sacrifices they make growing up in a forces family, you do wonder how such young shoulders can carry the burden of the constant stress and anxiety.”
“Quite simply this record is beautiful,” he added.
Forty pence from each “physical” single sale, goes to the Legion, along with 50p from every digital single.
The song can be pre-ordered on iTunes and Amazon, ahead of its release on November 10.
Megan Adams, 10, from Stirling, started singing lessons 18 months ago. She is also learning the piano and plans to start guitar lessons.
Her father, Lieutenant Commander William (Billy) Adams has been in the Royal Navy for 26 years and is currently on a sixth month deployment in the Indian Ocean.
She added: “The hardest thing about being a forces family is that we could only see my dad on the weekends for five years. It’s really difficult now because my dad is away for another six months.”
Florence Ransom, 10, from Petersfield, Hants, said she “started singing when I was four in the school playground”.
Her father, Lieutenant Ben Ransom, is serving in the Royal Navy, while her mother, Katherine, was part of the Military Wives choir, created by Gareth Malone for his BBC series.
Lieut Ransom said: “Words cannot describe how immensely proud I am of Florence and the girls, they are all immensely talented and are fantastic ambassadors for the young of today.”
Alice Milburn, 13, from Portsmouth, can play the ukulele, as well as the piano. “I first started singing, apparently, before I could talk,” she said.
Father, Captain Philip Milburn, is in the Royal Navy and is regularly deployed overseas. Her mother, Nicola, was in the RAF for eight years.
Alice added: “The best thing about being part of a forces family, is knowing my dad does a job respected by members of the public ... The hardest thing is that my dad can go away for long periods of time without any notice.”
Bethany Davey, 15, from Dartford, in Kent, said that until taking up lessons four years ago, “I was always too shy to sing in front of family, let alone an audience”.
Her great grandmother used to sing in concert halls in Glasgow. Her father, Dean, previously served as regular soldier in the 9th/12th Royal Lancers and is now serving in the Army Reserves with the 151 (London) Transport Regiment, Royal Logistics Corps.
Charlotte Mellor, 17, from Wolverhampton, said: “Not many people consider what life is like for a military kid. It’s not the easiest start in life; I’m 17 now and wouldn’t change one thing about it.”
Her father, Paul Mellor is a Padre and Wing Commander in the RAF. He said: “Seeing my little girl Charlotte, who was just three when I joined up, singing not because she ‘wants to be famous’ but because she truly believes that this can make a difference to the lives of those who’ve served our country but now need some support themselves, makes me immensely proud.”

David Cameron pledges to cut green taxes next year despite Lib Dem objections

Green taxes on household energy bills will fall next year despite Liberal Democrat objections, David Cameron's aides have said.

David Cameron has indicated that he would consider cuts to National Insurance and income tax for lower paid workers.  Photo: STEFAN ROUSSEAU/PA

By James Kirkup, and Peter Dominiczak

12:55PM BST 23 Oct 2013

199 Comments

Downing Street said that George Osborne's Autumn Statement in December will set out plans to reduce the impact of environmental levies on fuel bills.

The Lib Dems have previously vowed to prevent any fall in green levies during this Parliament.

But a source close to Mr Cameron insisted: "One way or another, the Prime Minister is determined to roll back those green taxes."

Mr Cameron's promise, made under pressure from Labour and Sir John Major, risks straining relations between the Coalition parties.

The Lib Dems reacted angrily, calling the Prime Minister's announcement a "panicky U-turn".

“We need to roll back some of the green regulations and charges,” Mr Cameron said during Prime Minister’s Questions.
The Prime Minister also announced a “proper competition test” to make the energy market more “competitive”.
He said that he wants more energy companies so that consumers have greater choice.
Energy firms blame the environmental and social obligations placed on them by ministers for the increase in bills.
According to Government figures, the green levies add £112 to a typical household bill. The money is then used to pay for loft insulation schemes and subsidies for renewable energy projects, under the Coalition’s rules.
Downing Street sources said that, if there was no policy change, green levies could rise from the current £112 to £194 - or 14 per cent of the typical household bill - by 2020. Mr Cameron wants action to reduce the impact of the levies, the source said.
Mr Cameron said: “What we need to do is recognise that there are four bits to an energy bill. There are the wholesale prices, which are beyond our control. There are the costs of transmission and the grid, which are difficult to change.
“There are the profits of the energy companies and there are the green regulations, and it is those last two that we need to get to grips with.
He added: “We will be having a proper competition test, carried out over the next year to get to the bottom of whether this market can be more competitive. I want more companies, I want better regulation, I want better deals for consumers.
“But, yes, we also need to roll back the green charges that he put in place as energy secretary”.
The review, which will be carried out by the Office of Fair Trading and the new Competition and Markets Authority, is to be announced next week in the annual energy statement.
A senior Lib Dem source accused the Conservatives of a "panicky U-turn".
“Everybody knows the Tories are getting cold feet on the environment," the source said.
"The Tories have put no properly worked up policies in front of us. But we will not allow a panicky U-turn during PMQs to dictate Government policy.
"The way to provide stable fuel bills now and in the future is not to make policy up on the hoof."
The source added: “Nick Clegg has always said that we should stress test every policy to make sure that there isn’t a penny more on bills than necessary. Of course, we will look at the specific details of what the Tories propose. That is Coalition Government. We will discuss the means but we are not prepared to compromise on the ends – protecting the environment; helping the fuel poor; and safeguarding our green industries and jobs.”
Labour said that £67 of the £112 levies were accounted for by measures introduced by the coalition.
A Labour source said: "The Prime Minister is clearly in a panic over energy prices. He is refusing to take real action to tackle overcharging now. He wants to wait another year when bills are going up 10% as we speak.
"The Labour Party has a comprehensive plan to freeze prices and reset the market. David Cameron's response is panicked and totally inadequate."
Mr Cameron's intervention came after former prime minister Sir John Major yesterday called on the Government to impose a windfall tax on the profits of the energy companies.
Challenged by Sir John's remarks by Labour leader Ed Miliband, Mr Cameron said: "I want more companies, I want better regulation, I want better deals for consumers. But yes, we also need to roll back the green charges that he put in place as energy secretary."

Mr Miliband accused the Prime Minister of “changing his policy every day of the week”.
Mr Miliband has pledged to freeze energy prices if he is elected in 2015. The Prime Minister called Mr Miliband a "conman".
Mr Cameron said: "Sir John Major is a good man, you are acting like a conman."
He added: "He left us a market with just six players, we have already seen seven new energy companies come into that market.
"So we need an annual audit of competition to make this market more competitive, something he never did when in office.
"And we need to roll back the costs that have been imposed on people's energy bills, part of which he was responsible for."
The Prime Minister was later rebuked by Speaker John Bercow for calling Mr Miliband a "conman".
Guy Newey, head of environment and energy at Policy Exchange said: “This was the strongest sign to date that the Prime Minister is committed to rolling back green subsidies.
The Government can certainly reduce the costs of environmental policy without sacrificing crucial climate change goals. That means scrapping costly renewable energy targets and removing support for eco-bling on rich peoples’ houses.”
Zac Goldsmith, the Conservative MP and environmentalist, branded the party leaders "muppets" over energy.
The Richmond MP said on Twitter: "In 2010, leaders fought to prove they were the greenest. Three years on, they're desperately blaming their own policies on the other. Muppets."

Rock star training at Mannheim's Pop Academy

It's been ten years since Mannheim's Pop Academy was founded. While it has yet to churn out any world-famous artists, it's been the starting point for many careers in the German music industry.

Udo Dahmen, artistic director of Mannheim's Popakademie (Pop Academy), wants to teach his students how to survive in the tough and cold music business. For Dahmen, that means getting a band or performer's name out there while dodging the traps of fad-like stardom and of becoming a one-hit wonder.
The big picture

Pop Academy is less about honing specific musical skills, more about carving out a niche. Students work at developing an individual style and defining a band identity. The first semester often proves especially rough for singers, who have to make quick work of getting used to performing on stage. Based on their performances, bands are formed that must pass a test at the semester's end - with their own songs. No covers allowed.

Popakademie director Udo Dahmen

A group of music business students also come to the concerts to try and get a sense for which students could be booked where. Often, a kind of symbiosis between the two groups of students - performers and their counterparts on the business side - evolves. That's part of the Popakademie concept.

'Not all that glitters is gold'

Musician Sebastian was among the students at the academy hoping to lay a foundation for a music career. "Of course, not all that glitters is gold. But it's like that at any university," he said of his time there. "It was fun to study there."
Sebastian has a down-to-earth attitude, even though he's since landed gigs opening for German chart-toppers like Xavier Naidoo and Tim Bendzko or even rock legends ZZ Top while they toured in Germany. But the aspiring musician pays the bills by giving keyboard lessons at a music school.

Unlike other music colleges, Popakademie is the only one in Germany to concentrate solely on pop music. And, Sebastian says, the proof is in the pudding: "You can see just how successful our program is by looking at the students who graduate from it."

The right network
The school's alumni include a number of success stories in the German music scene. Andrej Schweizer manages the rapper Cro, whose millions of views on YouTube are just one indication of his popularity. Producer Christian Kalla, otherwise known as Crada, writes and arranges songs for Tim Bendzko. And Konrad Sommermeier works on the business side of things for the band Frida Gold.

Rapper Cro trusts Popakadmie grad Andrej Schweizer to manage his act

Part of their success comes simply from networking. The some 150 teachers at Popakademie work in the music business themselves and can pass on ideas to the up-and-coming musicians they instruct. Author, singer and songwriter Masen Abou-Dakn, for instance, gives courses with insider tips on how to write good lyrics.
The student network also proves essential after class is done, he believes: "Everyone meets everyone else here, and they make important contacts."

Singer Masen Abou-Dakn is willing to share his song-writing talents

Highly selective
Mannheim's Popakademie got started in 2003 and, since then, has opened doors of opportunity in the pop branch for many. Some students have established their own music agencies and labels, others have done major concerts and tours.
But it's tough just getting a chance at this industry springboard. "For every 500 applicants, we have space for only 30," said Abou-Dakn. "Only talented people study here!"

DW.DE