Concert for Ukraine: Ed Sheeran and Camila Cabello help raise £12m

29 March 2022, 22:11 | Updated: 30 March 2022, 00:43

Music stars lined up to support humanitarian efforts for Ukraine in a show of solidarity with the besieged country, raising £12.2m for the cause.

The show, which was presented by Capital's Roman Kemp and Marvin Humes along with Heart's Emma Bunton, featured poignant, emotional moments and huge anthems.

Global, the owner of LBC and Capital, joined with ITV for the event.

Ticket sales, advertising, sponsorship and donations made up the £12m sum.

Hannah Richards, director of communications at the Disasters Emergency Committee, said: "This is generosity, this is love, this is showing we care in the face of what we’re seeing happening in Ukraine right now."

Ukraine concert raises millions for charities

Ed Sheeran's turn saw the superstar play hits including Bad Habits as the crowd waved yellow and blue, the colours of Ukraine's flag, before Camila Cabello wowed the audience, performing a cover of Coldplay's Fix You. They then played together with a backdrop of dancers.

Read more: Russia's promise to wind down assaults on Kyiv could be 'deception', US warns

Sheeran said: "Thank you so much for coming. It's such an important cause and I am so honoured to be here."

He told Global: "I felt like I wanted to do something, I literally just shot a music video in Kyiv three months ago, I was literally just there and it was an amazing experience.

"I loved being there, we were there for about a week. I just wanted to come and do something rather than not doing anything."

Cabello said: "We are praying tonight for the peace and safety of the people in the Ukraine."

Actors Tamsin Greig and Eddie Marsan read testimony of the real-life experiences of Artem and Natalya, who were forced to flee their homes as a result of the conflict, while violin music was played on stage.

The two-hour event at the Birmingham Resorts World Arena aimed to raise money for the Disasters Emergency Committee's Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal. The amount raised has not immediately been announced.

Earlier, Tom Odell performed his 2013 hit Another Love, which has become an unlikely anthem for the Ukrainian people in recent weeks, being used in hundreds of TikTok videos as a symbol of the country's resilience.

Odell performed the song for Ukrainian refugees passing through Bucharest station last week.

Ukrainian singer Jamala performed her song 1944, which won her Eurovision in 2016, before holding her country's flag aloft in front of thousands packed into Birmingham's Resorts World Arena. The song is about forced deportation from Crimea during Joseph Stalin's rule.

Read more: Western sanctions have left no food on Russia's shelves, anti-Putin dissident reveals

Anne-Marie and Becky Hill both made appearances as blue and yellow shone out from the stage behind them, while the Manic Street Preachers played their 90s hit If You Tolerate This Then Your Children Will Be Next.

An orchestra led by composer Steve Sidwell provided backing for the artists.

Mel Giedroyc, whose own father was a refugee, also made an appearance, and fronted a film in which she met refugees fleeing Ukraine on the Romanian border.

Nile Rodgers closed the show later to perform his Chic band's hit Everybody Dance.

How To Donate

• Online: dec.org.uk
• Phone: 0370 60 60 900
• SMS: To donate £10 text ‘CRISIS’ to 70150. Texts cost £10 plus the standard network charge and the whole £10 goes to the DEC Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal. You must be 16 or over and please ask the bill payer's permission. For full terms and conditions and more information go to www.dec.org.uk
• Or donate over the counter at any high street bank or post office or send a cheque by post to Post: DEC Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal, PO Box 999, London EC3A 3AA.