Two London Fire Brigade staff joined 40 firefighters from across the UK to record a charity version the classic Band Aid anthem ‘Do They Know It’s Christmas’.
The new version of the song, which will be released on November 30, has been recorded by fire and rescue service staff calling themselves The Fire Tones in a festive bid to raise money.
They have set their sights high and are aiming for Christmas Number One – with all profits from the sale of the song split equally between the Band Aid Trust and The Fire Fighters Charity.
The Fire Tones organiser, Firefighter Chris Birdsell-Jones from Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service, contacted the Brigade last summer and asked for two volunteers who could sing.
Watch The Fire Tones
The Brigade’s Fire Safety Manager Vicky Lowry and Watch Manager Antonia Nicol made their way to Birmingham on Sunday, 28 October to meet the other singers and record the vocals in a hectic 12-hour recording session at a local studio.
“We wanted to honour the spirit of the original Live Aid recording, so we decided to do it all in one day,” says Chris. “I must admit, I was nervous on the day because we’d put all this work in and had no idea if anyone was actually going to turn up.
"It would be amazing to get to Number One, but it’s genuinely never been about that,” he added. “We were just determined to make as much money as possible for these two great charities. I’ve seen first-hand the positive impact The Fire Fighters Charity has had on colleagues who have used its services. It’s a cause that is very close to all of our hearts."
The single will be released 30 November and available to download from i-Tunes, Spotify, Amazon Music and in CD format from HMV.
Follow The Fire Tones on Twitter @thefiretones999 or Instagram @thefiretones999 to see if they defeat the X Factor Christmas song and win the hotly-contested race to become the Christmas Number One.