Song for Christmas Trophy Presented at Winning School

St Nicholas Primary School in Porton received their Song for Christmas Trophy on Friday (30th January) at their celebration worship.

St Nicholas Primary School in Porton were named as 2025 champions on Salisbury Radio on Christmas Day after their song, That First Christmas Day, was selected by a panel of judges, all former local headteachers, as the winners.

The school's headteacher, Lucy Hill said after the school was presented their trophy by Andy Munns, “I am incredibly proud of all the children at St Nicholas Porton for winning Song for Christmas.

"Singing is a real passion of mine, and to lead a school with such talented, confident young singers is a genuine privilege. The children’s singing often gives me goosebumps — their joy, commitment and musicality really shine through, and this achievement is a wonderful reflection of their hard work and enthusiasm.”

After visiting the school to present the trophy, Andy Munns said, "Thank you to everyone for such a warm welcome at St Nicholas, it was lovely to join in for your celebration worship and present the trophy. 

"The song sounded amazing when I recorded it, it was full of joy and filled me with festive spirit - I knew as I left the school on that day at the end of November that it had a chance of winning. It sounded amazing, and clearly the judges agreed.

"Thank you again to all the schools who took part, you were all amazing, and we are looking forward to doing it again for 2026."

The judging panel, made up of Jan Paterson, Joy Wagstaff, Sandra Crook, Jenny Vokes and head judge Anne Munns, listened to the songs whilst judging without knowing which school had performed each track. They scored each song out of 10, and the scores were combined to produce the final leaderboard.

Song for Christmas Judge, Joy Wagstaff, said after the winning school was revealed, "It was lovely to hear children’s voices enjoying their songs. Well done, St. Nicholas, you made my eyes fill with pleasure."

With head judge Anne Munns adding, "It was lovely to listen to all the songs. Judging was really hard. Congratulations to everyone, but special congratulations to St Nicholas."

The standard, as always, was very high, with judges separating the top 5 schools by just one point, and four schools finishing in joint second place. 

This year's top 10 schools were:

1 - St Nicholas - That First Christmas Day
2 - Stratford-sub-Castle - Born For Us
2 - Pitton- Holly and Mistletoe
2 - Alderbury & West Grimstead -  Sweet Bells
2 - St. Peter's - In the Bleak Midwinter
6 - Sarum St Paul's - One Bright Star
7 - Pembroke Park - Together at Christmas Time
8 - Downton - Sparkle & Shine
8 - Winterbourne Earls - I Ho Ho Hope It's Santa Claus
10 - Winterslow - Walking in the Air

The result was revealed on Salisbury Radio by Ian Burrage on Christmas Day, with the winners, St Nicholas Primary School, picking up this year's title, the Song for Christmas Trophy and £250 to spend on musical education in the school. 

If you missed it, here is the moment they were announced as winners, and we hear from Mrs Waddington and Mrs Fraser, too:

Salisbury Radio also hosted two Song For Christmas Carol Concerts again this year, with 14 schools and hundreds of children joining together to spread Christmas joy and perform for their families and friends.