Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service support staff Mandy Harris and Alexandra Litwinski have joined forces with colleagues from across the country as they compete for the coveted No. 1 spot this Christmas, in aid of The Fire Fighters Charity.
An ensemble of fire and rescue service personnel from across the UK have come together to record a cover of Band Aid’s ‘Do They Know It’s Christmas’ to raise money for The Fire Fighters Charity and The Band Aid Charity Trust.
The single is available to buy on iTunes, Spotify and Amazon Music, as well as online from HMV. It is already one of the bookies’ favourites to take Christmas Number One, alongside Elton John and Ariane Grande.
The super group – known as The Fire Tones – was formed after Welshpool firefighter Chris Birdsell-Jones came up with the idea. He approached the Band Aid Charity Trust to acquire the necessary permissions and then reached out for support from fire and rescue services across the UK.
Recorded in a single day in October, 40 fire and rescue service personnel from across the country descended on the BIMM Music college in Birmingham. During the 12-hour session, the group – made up of both operational and non-operational staff – performed under the watchful eye of seasoned music producer Steve Osborne and vocal arranger Louise Warren, both of whom donated their time for free.
Despite being in the running for the elusive Christmas Number One spot, The Fire Tones are just hoping to raise as much money as possible for a charity close to their hearts.
Alex Litwinski, CAD Operator at MFRS, said: “Being a part of The Fire Tones and recording our very own version of this Band Aid classic has been an absolutely incredible experience. It would be absolutely amazing if we could get to Number One but the most important thing is to raise the profile of The Fire Fighters Charity and to raise as much money as possible for such a worthwhile cause.”
The Fire Fighters Charity support programmes include rehabilitation, recuperation, psychological and nursing across three centres. It costs more than £8 million a year to meet the needs of its beneficiaries and with no regular government funding, it is reliant on donations and fundraising efforts.
Mandy Harris, Community Safety Administration Manager at MFRS, added: “Every penny raised from every single downloaded, streamed or sold will help to fund valuable services. If we can make a difference to someone’s life through the release of this single, then we will have achieved what Chris set out to do. Making it to Christmas Number One would be an added bonus.”
Proceeds from the single will be split evenly between The Fire Fighters Charity and The Band Aid Trust.
To download the signal and learn more about the Fire Tones visit thefiretones.com