A DEVON?woman who has had a 'whirlwind' experience as part of the Military Wives Choir is hoping the group's single 'Wherever You Are' will be the Christmas Number One this Sunday.

It's been non-stop for the choir since it performed at the Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall in front of the Queen, but Debbie Randles, whose day job is a violin teacher and director of the Tavistock Music Academy for Children, is keeping her feet firmly on the ground.

The 34-year-old Plymouth resident, one of the stars of the 100-strong choir tutored by choirmaster Gareth Malone in the latest series of BBC2's award-winning The Choir, says the whole experience has been 'an honour'.

The single, released this week and featuring lyrics taken from letters between servicemen deployed in Afghanistan and their wives and girlfriends, is hotly tipped to be top of the charts this weekend but it's not about the kudos but more about the money it will raise.

All the proceeds will be shared between the Royal British Legion and SSAFA (Soldiers, Sailors, Airman and Families' Association).

Debbie is not strictly a military wife but a military sister, with her brother Ian Brett, 32, based at RAF Marham.

Ian was serving in Afghanistan when the appeal went out for people to join the choir and Debbie decided to apply.

Fifty members of the choir are connected to the Royal Marines Base at Chivenor in North Devon and 50 to 29 Commando in Plymouth.

'I was going through the same thing as the wives and girlfriends,' said Debbie. 'The choir was like therapy, a distraction and when we were singing we were all completely absorbed by it.

'The worst thing is not hearing from your loved ones when you expect because you always think the worst and not being able to speak to them when you want to.

'The choir has raised awareness of the wives of servicemen who are often forgotten.

'They are often left to get on with it when actually they do almost as an amazing job as their husbands if not more amazing.'

Debbie, who teaches a number of students from Callington Community College at the academy, said it was a fantastic experience to sing with 'such an inspiring and amazing group of women' and with Gareth, who was an incredible 'positive, professional and knowledgeable person'.

'Because there are a hundred of us I think we have kept pretty grounded but it has been like a whirlwind,' she added.

'When we sang at the Royal Albert Hall that was the pinnacle — we did not think it would get any better.

'But then we were asked to record the song as a single, we went on the Chris Evans show on Radio Two, This Morning and The One Show and performed for the Prime Minister at 10 Downing Street.

'None of us are really interested in the showbizzy side though — the biggest focus for us is raising money for the charities because that is what is closest to our hearts and what is important.'

With weekly rehearsals, the choir intend to keep singing and performing and keep the camaraderie which has helped them through difficult times.