A HUNTINGDONSHIRE band are vying to have a Christmas number one as part of a campaign set up by the police officer blinded by fugitive killer Raoul Moat.

A HUNTINGDONSHIRE band are vying to have a Christmas number one as part of a campaign set up by the police officer blinded by fugitive killer Raoul Moat.

Pop/folk duo The Strawheads are hoping their single But Hey, Happy Christmas will knock X-Factor rivals off the top spot and raise thousands for the emergency services charity Blue Lamp Foundation.

Set up by Pc David Rathband in September, the charity aims to raise �1million for emergency service personnel injured in the line of duty.

Pc Rathband was shot in the face and chest by Moat. He survived the shooting and was honoured in the Pride of Britain awards for his courage and determination.

Stephen Bottomley, 45, one half of The Strawheads, said that he and bandmate Graham Buxton, 49, felt compelled to act after reading about Pc Rathband’s story.

They sent a copy of their Christmas single, penned a year ago, to the policeman and got the go-ahead to sell it on behalf of the charity.

Stephen, from Sawtry, said: “When the incident happened, we were horrified, not only by the story, but that David had to set up the Blue Lamp Foundation.

“We could not believe that there is not some mechanism in place to help 999 workers. The courage he has shown to set up this foundation puts us all to shame.”

The single has received air time on 50 internet radio stations and scored rave reviews in Digital Music Publishers and Tangled Guitars.

It is currently available on Amazon and iTunes but, to make it to the top of the charts, the pair are appealing for people across the district to download the track.

Stephen said: “The song is about how every headline and every paper is about bad news at Christmas, and it is calling for papers to give us what we want at Christmas – good news.”