James Blunt to raise money for Help For Heroes at Birmingham show

The funds raised at the concerts will add to the money that the chart-topping superstar has also pledged to Help for Heroes from the proceeds of his heartbreaking ballad, Monsters.

He wrote this as an ode to his father who has been diagnosed with stage four chronic kidney disease and urgently needs an O positive kidney donor.

About his support for Help for Heroes, the 45-year-old musician said: “I’ve seen first-hand how difficult life can be for veterans transitioning from the Armed Forces into Civvy Street; it can be especially hard if they’ve been medically discharged and need to cope with health issues on top of finding a new career.

“That’s why, as a patron of Help for Heroes, I’m giving a portion of my proceeds from the song Monsters to the charity – and why I’m very happy for them to be collecting donations at my concerts.

"They do fantastic work in helping my former brothers and sisters in arms.”

Blunt's family has a long lineage of military service. His father was a Cavalry Officer and a Colonel of the Army Air Corps, while Blunt himself served in the Life Guards, a Cavalry regiment of the British Army and served under NATO in the Kosovo War in 1999.

The money raised will enable Help for Heroes to support those who have become wounded, injured or sick as a result of their service – giving them and their families the help they need to recover and get on with their lives.

Julian North, Help for Heroes recovery manager east at the charity’s Chavasse VC House recovery centre, says:, “James has already given us great support, having been a patron of the charity for many years and singing at our Help for Heroes concert.

"In Birmingham and across the UK there have been almost 40,000 people whose military career has ended in the past 20 years because of physical or mental injury, and every day this number grows.

"James’ fantastic generosity will help us ensure that we can be there to support them, whenever they need us.”