Children In Need is a BBC initiative, which has raised over £500 million since its inception in the 1980s. In 2007 alone the charity raised £37 million, of which £13 million was raised on a special evening of broadcasting, which saw a direct appeal to people to donate.

Sharon has recorded the Rosemary Clooney Christmas classic 'Me and My Teddy Bear' for Children In Need, which will feature on a double A-sided single with Terry Wogan and Aled Jones performing 'Silver Bells' on the flip side. Rosemary Clooney, who died in 2001, was of course an aunt of George Clooney and enjoyed a hugely successful career as a singer and actress. She recorded 'Me And My Teddy Bear' in 1957.

Sharon Corr's interpretation of the song was recorded in Dublin and produced by long-time Corrs collaborator Billy Farrell. The single has been released to Irish radio this week and will go to UK radio next week.

"It's a lovely old world Christmassy record," an insider told Hot Press. "When the BBC heard it, they said 'that's got to be the single'. And so it is."

In a fortnight which also saw U2 centre stage at the celebrations to mark the fall of the Berlin Wall, when they played a special concert at the Brandenburg Gate, and Swell Season going top 20 in the US with their superb Strict Joy album, it is a further reflection of the importance of Irish music internationally.

"I think there's a few very envious people in the industry here," one UK record company A&R man revealed. "There is a huge amount of prestige associated with this – but also extraordinary exposure guaranteed. That Sharon Corr is at the centre of it is a big deal. It's a real coup. It is almost impossible to envisage anything keeping the winners of X-Factor off the No.1 spot, but this is probably the one record that might just do it."

Sharon is currently recording her debut album for release in the Spring. She was one of the stars of The Music Show in Dublin recently, where she did a special acoustic set for radio, on the 2fm stand. She was also announced during the week as the support to Horslips in the Belfast Odyssey.