Tranent man Dean Jones takes on epic 10-hour singing marathon

Dean Jones sung more than 100 songs over 10 hours on May 15 for Tranent Belters.

And Dean, who lives in Tranent, was inspired by his last singing challenge to complete another one.

The 42-year-old said: “Last May when we were in lockdown, I started doing some livestreams and I ended up singing every day in May and got people to sponsor me to sing songs on a daily basis throughout the month for the Walk With Scott Foundation.

“I was just trying to think of another way of raising money and I thought that maybe I would set myself a challenge of singing for a whole day.”

From 10am to 8pm, Dean sang from his garage at his house on Toll House Grove in 10, 45-minute-long sets.

People were able to sponsor him and, due to social distancing rules at the time, a total of six people from six households were able to watch and listen from a nearby gazebo. The seats were cleaned in the 15 minutes between each set with Dean, also changing clothes.

The sets were livestreamed on his Facebook page.

He performed a range of songs, from golden oldies to classic rock, country and Scottish.

The father-of-two said: “My throat was a wee bit sore on the last hour, I was quite surprised with how it held up.

“The hardest bit was just standing there and the amount of time you were having to concentrate.”

As well as raising money online and via a bucket strapped to the fence on the day, Dean was also sponsored by several local businesses, with an anonymous donor giving £1,000.

A donation of £200 was also made and gifted to Harlawhill Day Centre in Prestonpans, with six of its members enjoying a golden oldies hour. Craig Mitchell, husband of centre manager Fiona, even dressed in an Elvis costume during a performance of The Wonder Of You.

Dean has doubled last year’s total, with more than £4,500 raised. He said: “To raise that amount is staggering, I can’t believe it.”

He thanked all of his sponsors and supporters.

Donate at justgiving.com/crowdfunding/dean-jones-5