Firefighters from the Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service are aiming for the Christmas number one spot with their version of Band Aid’s, Do they know it’s Christmas?
The group, known as The Fire Tones, joined with fire service personnel from across the country, including stars from TV’s The X Factor and The Voice.
The single will raise money for the Firefighters Charity and the Band Aid Charity Trust.
Welshpool firefighter and organiser Chris Birdsell-Jones said:
“What started as a conversation in a Welshpool bar around this time last year has been nothing short of remarkable. Our efforts have really gained momentum and we are grateful for all the support and advice received from the many people to get this project off the ground. Whilst it would be great to win the number one spot on the Christmas single charts, the money raised for charity and the impact that this will have will mean even more to everyone that participated.”
With the necessary permissions in place the group widened their search for talent from within the fire service to contribute to the single. Stevie McCrorie, a past winner of The Voice agreed to take part along with Andy Quinn, the star of BBC’s Michael McIntyre’s Big Show and a firefighter with Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service. They were also joined by The X Factor contestants Marc Higgins, from Southampton and Richard Ryan. an on-call firefighter from Worcestershire.
Anthony Greaves from BIMM Music College in Birmingham donated session time and firefighters from across the country converged at the newly built recording studio for a hectic 12-hour recording session, masterminded by producer Steve Osborne and expert vocal arranger Louise Warren.
The New Saints FC, champions of the Welsh Premier League and VCW Security supported the firefighters by funding the production of the collectable CDs to be sold at the football ground.
The single will also be available from Amazon Music and HMV and as a download from iTunes, Spotify and Amazon Music.
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Photo: PJMC Marketing Communications