FANS enjoyed a “gold” moment when pop singer and songwriter Tony Hadley serenaded them at a charity auction.

The 57-year-old whose top hits with Spandau Ballet include “True” and “Through the Barricades”, sang for Action Medical Research.

Almost 100 guests came to the charity auction which was held at The Ginger Pig, in Hove Street, Hove, yesterday.

Mr Hadley, who has been a long-time patron of the charity, thanked everyone for their kind donations.

He told The Argus: “I have been connected with the charity for many years.

“I have done many fundraising activities for them, including trekking through the jungle and visiting Machu Picchu in South America.

“I want to thank everyone here for their generosity.

“The charity does so much to support, babies, young children and families.

“They make a real difference to their lives. The money will go towards different streams of medical research. They have funded for so much research, including helping premature babies.

“As an artist I do what I can to help because charities need money to continue with their good work.

“I was in York on Thursday, and after this auction I have another charity event. Then I have a few more in the following days.

“The country has been through a time of hardship and that really puts a squeeze on charities. So I try to do as much charity events as I can.”

Action Medical Research’s head of fundraising, David Graham, said: “I want to thank all the guests for their kind donations.

“It was fantastic having Tony here for the charity. We had come all the way from York at 6.30am to be in Hove.

“We haven’t counted the total amount of money we’ve raised, but we think it should be about £50,000. I want to thank Ginger Pig who offered the venue and catering free of charge. So 100 per cent of the donations go to the charity.

“We have funded for research including the development of new MRI scans for unborn babies to detect brain damage, and developing cooling therapy for newborns who have brain injuries.”

Pamela McKellar, owner of The Ginger Pig, said: “We are so happy to be supporting such an amazing charity. We wanted to fill The Ginger Pig with some of the loveliest ladies in town and it was fabulous to have Tony join us.”