MOTHER and daughter Ray and Collette Williams have long grown used to people poking fun at their obsession with Sir Cliff Richard.

But when they heard Radio 2 had decided to ban Cliff's Christmas offering from the airwaves they decided enough was enough.

They set off for London from their home in Orchard Road, Horsham, at 4am and joined other fans in a protest outside Broadcasting House, calling on the BBC to reverse the decision.

Cliff, who was hoping for a Yuletide chart-topper with The Millennium Prayer, a version of the Lord's Prayer set to the tune of Auld Lang Syne, had his hopes dashed by yesterday's decision.

The announcement that the single would not be playlisted sparked a furious reaction from fans.

Ray, 70, and Collette, 52, joined a small group who braved the cold to stage a five-hour demonstration.

Ray said: "I went because I couldn't believe they weren't going to play Cliff's record. They have to play the record.

"Everyone who makes a record has the right to have it played, and then people have the choice whether they like it and whether they want to buy it or not.

"Cliff deserves respect, the same respect he gives to other people. He's done so much for charity and Radio 2 shouldn't treat him so shabbily. They play Paul McCartney, Rod Stewart and even Tom Jones - he's got much more to offer."

Ray added: "The song is lovely. I'd love to see it going to number one, that would show everyone."

The mother and daughter have seen Cliff's musicals Time and Heathcliff 70 times each, and have met their idol on several occasions.

Their home is crammed with Cliff memorabilia, from records to life-size cardboard cut-outs of the star.

Their most prized possession is a green jacket that he regularly sported with a pair of white trousers in the Seventies.

When Collette first became a fan, her mum used to take her to concerts and then wait outside to collect her because they could not both afford to go in. But since those early days the pair have travelled the world to see Cliff.

Appeal

They run the Horsham and Crawley Meeting House, a club for local Cliff fans. Ray said: "We all love him dearly. That's why we've travelled all over the world to see him, even as far as Dubai."

A spokesman for Radio 2 said Cliff's track was thought "not to be of broad enough appeal" for inclusion on the list.

It is not the only time Cliff has run into trouble with his singles.

He voluntarily withdrew the track Devil Woman after claims the video glamourised prostitution.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.