WELSHPOOL and district put on an amazing show of support tonight as the local firefighters officially launched their bid for a big hit at Christmas as the town's lights were switched on.

The whole community and the town council which organised the festive lights showed they were completely behind the Firefighters from Welshpool and Newtown as they revealed the video of their version of Band Aid's 'Do They Know It's Christmas'.

The single was on sale on the night and they sold like hot Christmas cakes.

Many of the heroes from the Fire Tones version of Band Aid’s ‘Do they know it’s Christmas?’ were at the grand switch on of Welshpool’s Christmas lights.

Star of the night was Chris Birdsell-Jones, the Welshpool Firefighter who came up with the idea of recording the song earlier in the year and had steered the project.

He received a huge cheer as he switched on the town's sparkling display of lights with the support of Welshpool Mayor Steve Kaye and town crier Tammy Manuel.

Afterwards Mayor Steve Kaye was among the first people to buy a copy of the CDs and he said: "I think it's wonderful. What Chris and the team of Firefighters have done is put Welshpool on the map again which is what we're all aiming to do.

"The way he has driven this through has been incredible from coming up with the idea and then getting permission to record it, through to making it all happen."

Proceeds from the song, which will be available both as a digital download on iTunes and Amazon and via CD, will be split between the Firefighter’s Charity and Band Aid.

The group has had a rush order of CDs brought in from Austria in order that they can be distributed to High Street branches of HMV, while a production line was set up at the fire station to pack and seal the band’s specially commissioned artwork into the sleeves.

“It’s been like a military operation over the past few weeks,” said organiser Chris Birdsell-Jones.

“The community spirit here has been massive. I’ve had people stopping me all the time asking when they can get the CD, even whether they can get it on vinyl! The main thing has been to raise money for these two great charities but of course it would be sensational to do well in the charts.

“Everyone remembers a Christmas number one don’t they and it would be mad for this little idea we had in Welshpool to end up as an answer on Trivial Pursuit or something.”

And Chris, the Welshpool firefighter who originally came up with the idea of the Christmas single, said the level of support he’d encountered in the local community since news of the single first broke had been unlike anything he’d experienced before.

“I’m not originally from Welshpool, I moved here when I met my wife Lucie, and I’ve always lived in cities until I came here.

“When you live in a city you’re not really part of a community in the same way, you’re sort of part of that suburb but it’s not like that here – here it’s a real community thing.”

And organisers also revealed that the group have received good luck messages from Band Aid founders Sir Bob Geldof and Midge Ure ahead of the national promotion, due to take place on ITV’s This Morning next week

“A final big thank you goes out to our sponsors of the CD, Mike Harris, The New Saints FC and VCW Security as well as RoQ Recruitment who have helped make all this possible,” said Chris.

You can buy the CD from Amazon, iTunes and HMV and the Firefighters will be out again on Saturday in Welshpool for the town's Winter Fair and at The New Saints' match at Park Hall against Cardiff Met.