You did it! 'He Ain't Heavy' is No.1
After weeks of campaigning and promoting, football fans around the country have achieved an historic feat – the Justice Collective's Hillsborough charity single 'He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother' is Christmas No.1!
Following widespread support for the track - a cover of the original Hollies song featuring some of the biggest names in music, including Sir Paul McCartney and Robbie Williams - it was confirmed as the highest seller of the week on Sunday.
Margaret Aspinall, chair of the Hillsborough Family Support Group, told the Liverpool Echo: "It's been absolutely fantastic - credit to them all.
"This last week - and since September really - has just been brilliant. I'm looking forward to next year and I haven't said that for over 20 years."
Steve Rotheram, MP for Liverpool Walton, who helped organise the single, said: "We have done in nine weeks what it normally takes nine months or more to achieve, working with a phenomenally dedicated team all of whom have worked for free and displayed total professionalism throughout."
Competition had been provided by X-Factor winner James Arthur with 'Impossible', but even the 24-year-old himself asked the public to purchase 'He Ain't Heavy' to ensure it finished in top spot before Christmas.
Football supporters, both Liverpool and otherwise, backed the song from its inception, and clubs across the country have given their support by playing the record at half-time during league fixtures.
Celebrities, politicians, football figures and contributors to the recording have all used social media to raise awareness about the single, while Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers made an impassioned plea for fans to buy the track on Thursday.
Peter Hooton, lead singer of The Farm and one of the single's organisers, said: "I told Steve Rotheram he was mad [to go for number one].
"X Factor and these people plan their Christmas singles in June, July, and we were only getting organised in October. It's unbelievable, nobody does that.
"But it's almost as if everything has just come into place. It comes down to the goodwill of the people, the music industry - and it's a great testimony to the 96."
All funds raised by the song will be used to aid the Hillsborough families' ongoing campaign for justice on behalf of the 96 people who lost their lives during the tragedy in 1989.
That battle received several significant boosts earlier this week - with the High Court decision to quash the original inquest verdicts into the disaster and the Government's pledge to fund future legal costs for the families.
The single is still available to buy, of course, with further money raised through sales contributing to the campaign for justice which has brought together football supporters during recent weeks and months.
The physical edition of the single was released on Monday, and the digital version can be downloaded via iTunes, HMV, 7 Digital and Amazon.
The single will soon be available to buy from Liverpool FC official stores. The club is not a chart-registered company and so sales of the song had been prioritised to other outlets in order for the single to stand a better chance of reaching No.1 in the Christmas charts.
You can also purchase the track by texting the word 'Justice' to 80010 from your mobile phone in the UK (£1 + standard network rate). From the Republic of Ireland, text 'Justice' to 53600 if you would like to order a copy (€1.50 + standard network rate). Please note that due to the very high demand, texts to download may suffer a delay of a few hours.