A SEA of red noses crowded Colchester’s Mercury Theatre as the biggest choir in Suffolk and Essex recorded its own fundraising song for Comic Relief 2013.

Funky Voices community choir have joined boy band One Direction in the charity single stakes by releasing their version of Relight My Fire for the national appeal. The theatre was packed with 600 members from across the two counties and led by choir director Sandra Colston.

Their song will be available on iTunes in the week commencing March 11, with all proceeds going to Comic Relief.

Choir member Toby Croney said: “Funky Voices regularly performs gigs for charity so we approached Comic Relief and offered to give them one of the tracks from our latest album.

“We’re a group of normal people sounding extraordinary.

“We sing our own versions of classic pop songs by the likes of Stevie Wonder, Earth Wind and Fire, and Michael Jackson.”

The choir was launched in 2007 and last November appeared as finalists in the Ipswich Has Got Talent competition.

There are currently about 800 members aged 16 and up.

A children’s Funky Voices has also been set up for youngsters aged 12-16.

Learn more about Funky Voices by visiting funkyvoices.co.uk.