A CONCERT by the Band of the Adjutant General's Corps at Winchester Great Hall raised nearly £20,000 to support injured soldiers and their families.

Attended by some 250 people, the event raised money for the Army's national charity, the Army Benevolent Fund.

Frederick Hervey-Bathurst, a local businessman, was so shocked by the huge drop in donations to the charity in the wake of the Iraq war that he organised the concert to mark the opening of his firm Chestergate Financial Planning's new offices at Somborne Park, near Stockbridge.

The 35 soldiers of the Band of the AGC, led by Captain Lawrence Sale, put on a varied show with music ranging from The Beatles to Elgar.

The concert took place just a week after Winchester's Major Paul Harding died in Basra.

Mr Hervey-Bathurst said: "The public may or may not support the war in Iraq and the deployment in Afghanistan, but we must show our support for our soldiers out there, who are doing a difficult and dangerous job. The lack of support for Army charities does not send a political message to the Government - it just hits the very people who have already sacrificed their lives and health in our country's service."