A WATFORD born firefighter is fulfilling a life long dream and helping others by recording a single to raise money for New York firefighters and families affected by the September 11 tragedy.

Mr Alan Miles, 35, works for West Hampstead fire station and is currently doing a part time course at West Herts College in Hempstead Road, Watford.

The events which occurred in Nedw York inspired Mr Miles to write a song in memory of all the firefighters who lost their lives in the line of duty.

Mr Miles, a former Watford Grammar pupil, says that he had met many of the New York Firemen that were killed after he and his colleagues went to New York in 2000, to take part in a fundraising race to the top of the World Trade Centre.

To commemorate the memory of the NY firemen and woman, the UK Firefighters Benevolent Charity has been trying to organise a National Firefighters Day to coincide with the anniversary of the September attacks.

Mr Miles said: "The charity was looking for someone to record a song for the event and I volunteered. Everybody loves the song and we are now looking some financial backing to help release the single."

He has been trying to spark up interest from some of the big names in the business like EMI and Virgin Records but with very little success so far. He said: " The music industry is a fickle business and I am under no illusions that at the age of 35, I won't be a pop star. But I do believe that I have as good a chance of making a success of this as Ronan Keating or anyone else for that matter."

Mr Miles likens his single called September in My Soul, to the spiritual and soulful sounds of the award winning singer and songwriter David Gray.

The Firemen's Benevolent Charity has plans to try and promote the single in New York later on in the year. Through his dedication to the success of this project, Mr Miles took it upon himself to personally fund and create the video for the single.

The video was shot entirely in his flat with the American flag in the backdrop. He later edited images of the scenes from the attack onto the video. Despite being a talented singer, Mr Miles biggest dream is to become a film director.

At present, he is completing a three year media degree course at West Herts College in Hempstead Road. In March, he was asked to film a documentary on the firefighters charity trek across Guatemala and expects that he will soon be jetting off to Nepal to shoot another documentary later in the year.

He said: "Making a success of this is important to me and besides, all the money is for charity."

All the proceeds from the sale of the track will be given to the families of all the New York firefighter victims of the September 11 attacks.

June 10, 2002 17:30