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Jordan North records his narration (Burnley FC/PA)
Radio DJ Jordan North has voiced an animated film for his beloved Burnley FC celebrating “the kindness of strangers” at Christmas.
Preston-based production company Route Nine Studios was commissioned by the Premier League side to create the animation titled One Small Act.
North, who co-hosts the BBC Radio 1 drivetime show, narrates the story of a young Burnley fan who leaves her favourite cuddly toy, of club mascot Bertie Bee, on a park bench where it is found by lonely pensioner Leslie, a fellow supporter of the club.
Leslie is invited to spend Christmas Day with the family and given a matchday ticket as a present.
It comes after Burnley welcomed fans back to Turf Moor in August with a similar animated film, titled Where We Belong.
North, 31, expressed his love for the club while appearing on I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! in 2020, revealing its ground was the “happy place” he visualised during the show’s gruelling challenges.
He said: “I loved Burnley FC’s first animation which marked fans’ return to the stadium.
“It really captured what is going on at Turf Moor – what that feeling is all about – the family feel that the club has.
“And this Christmas film does that again.
“Burnley is a proper small town and people there are kind and ‘salt of the earth’ who will do anything for their friends and family – One Small Act encapsulates that, the kindness of strangers.
“It is a feel-good animation which reminds me why Burnley and Turf Moor really is my ‘happy place’.
“The Boxing Day game is one of the first fixtures you look at in the summer when the fixture list comes in because who Burnley is playing on Boxing Day is a big part of Christmas.
“For me, if Burnley is playing on Boxing Day, it’s just as good as Christmas Day.
“The ideal Christmas for me is Christmas back home and then on the 26th we’re playing at Turf Moor.
“Burnley and The Turf is a big part of my family’s Christmas Day and many other football fans as well.”
Burnley FC chairman Alan Pace said: “Where We Belong was a great way to welcome back our supporters and share some of the amazing memories and stories that connect us all.
“As we celebrate this special time of year, we wanted to send our best Christmas wishes in this holiday season with a special message of how every act of kindness counts, even One Small Act.”
Teri Moran-Dawson, co-founder of Route Nine Studios, said: “We were so excited to work on the first film so it’s a real treat to be asked to make a second, especially one that celebrates Christmas.
“We hope the story and characters find a special place in the hearts of fans.”
Music for the animation was created by Sylvia Navarro of Bleeding Fingers Music, the collective co-founded by Oscar-winning composer Hans Zimmer.
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