Roger Daltrey has called on fans to offer the Teenage Cancer Trust a “vital lifeline” by supporting a new single by rock singers Bonnie Tyler and Lorraine Crosby.
The pair have released a version of their 2005 duet Through Thick And Thin (I’ll Stand By You) with all profits going to the charity, of which The Who frontman Daltrey is a patron.
Teenage Cancer Trust is facing an estimated £1 million fundraising hole after its annual concert series at the Royal Albert Hall in London was rescheduled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Nile Rodgers & Chic, Groove Armada, Paul Weller and Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds were due to perform at the event’s 20th edition in March.
Daltrey, 76, told the PA news agency: “We need a vital lifeline at the moment and we won’t get it from the first round of charitable money coming out of the Government, because that’s got to be tailored specific.”
He added: “It’s not easy raising money. You go out there with a bucket, and you come back with a million pounds and you see how hard it is.
“It’s really tough, so it’s heartbreaking to see us in the state that we are in, where all our fundraising has been stopped.
“All our work, our week of Albert Hall shows that we do – this was our 20th anniversary – that’s down the toilet.
“I can’t begin to tell you how difficult it is to get seven artists with the ability to fill the Albert Hall, because you have to be able to fill it on a given night of the week.”
Addressing the total amount of money the trust estimates it will need to continue this year, he added: “We deserve to survive this and to survive this we have to raise between five to seven million this year.
“So whatever you can give – it doesn’t matter what it is, it will really help us.”
Tyler, best known for hits including Holding Out For A Hero and Total Eclipse Of The Heart, is a long-standing friend of vocalist Crosby.
Crosby said the song’s title and lyrics spoke to the “horrendous” effect of the pandemic.
She told PA: “The title sums it up. We really want to stand by teenagers at this horrendous time.
“They are in NHS hospitals and we want to give them 100% support. Anything we can do.
“I am going to work tirelessly to support this track to raise as much funds as is humanly possible for the Teenage Cancer Trust.
“We are trying to bridge some of the shortfall from all the funds they are losing. All the charities are suffering.
“They are only going to make something like half what they would usually make in a year, which is absolutely crippling for the (medical) units across the country.”
Tyler said: “I couldn’t be more proud of my friend Lorraine’s idea of releasing this duet that we recorded years ago for Teenage Cancer Trust, and I’m happy for her to do so.
“I hope this single can help them to continue being there, through thick and thin.
”The lyrics say it all for right now, we all need to support each other through difficult times. If anyone needs a hero now, it’s young people with cancer.
“They’re going through some of the toughest moments of their lives, and support from Teenage Cancer Trust’s nurses and youth support teams is needed more than ever.
“Through thick and thin.”
Teenage Cancer Trust’s chief executive Kate Collins said: “We can’t thank Bonnie and Lorraine enough for their support.
“Cancer isn’t stopping for coronavirus and neither is Teenage Cancer Trust – right now young people with cancer are feeling more isolated than ever and they’ve never needed us more.
“We rely on donations for all our work and our income this year could drop by as much as 50%.
“We’ve launched an urgent fundraising appeal so we can raise the £5 million needed so we can continue our work in 2020.
“Thank you to Bonnie and Lorraine for standing by us, as we do for young people with cancer for as long as they need us.”
The music video features Tyler and Crosby performing together, and footage of seven young people from across the UK, who have all been diagnosed with cancer and supported by the charity’s specialist nurses and youth support teams.
Through Thick And Thin (I’ll Stand By You) is out on May 15.