Firefighters from mid and west Wales want to set the music world on fire with a song they hope will hit the top of the charts at Christmas.

On Friday, firefighters from across mid and west Wales will officially launch their bid to reach the top of the singles chart and achieve a Christmas number one single with their version of Do They Know It’s Christmas?.

Although they are used to literally climbing heights, the bid to record and release a potential Christmas No 1 is a very new challenge for the firefighters of Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service.

The group, formed under the name The Fire Tones, was the vision of Welshpool firefighter Chris Birdsell-Jones, who dreamed of a band of firefighters reaching the top of the charts with the classic Christmas hit.

The single is set to raise money for the Fire Fighters Charity and the Band-Aid Charity Trust.

With the necessary permissions in place, Chris set about widening the search for talent from other UK fire and rescue services to contribute to the single.

Chris said: “We wanted to honour the spirit of the original recording, so we wanted to get it all done in one day, just as they did with the original Live Aid single.”

The single, due for release on 30 November, will be available for purchase on iTunes, Spotify and Amazon Music, with firefighters also planning to sell CDs locally.

Deputy chief fire officer Rob Quin of Mid and West Wales Fire Service said: “This is a wonderful initiative by our firefighters in Welshpool, which has snowballed across our service and across to other fire and rescue services.

“I’m extremely proud of mid and west Wales firefighters as our fire and rescue service is amongst the highest contributors to the Fire Fighters Charity.

"Our firefighters and support staff are constantly fundraising to this fantastic cause, be it through traditional methods, such of hosting car washes and selling cakes, or highly ambitious projects such as the Fire Tones.

“I can’t wait to hear the song, buy it and show my support to the Fire Tones, Fire Fighters Charity and Band-Aid.”

The Fire Tones’ single is available to preorder on Amazon and will be released on iTunes, Spotify and Amazon Music tomorrow.

You can listen to a sample on The Fire Tones website and follow the band on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.