Rick Astley to put on free gig for NHS staff

Rick Astley is putting on a free concert for all NHS frontline staff, Primary Care workers and the Emergency Services at the end of the year.
The ‘Never Gonna Give You Up’ hitmaker will take the stage on October 28 at Manchester Arena in north west England to perform a career-spanning set for all those who have been at the forefront of the fight against COVID-19.
The 54-year-old singer said: "Our NHS and emergency services are amazing. This concert is a thank you to all those fantastic frontline staff. I promise my band and I will give it everything to give you a great night out."
Those eligible for tickets for his one-off free concert will be all frontline NHS staff, Primary Care workers plus the emergency services including Ambulance, Fire Brigade and Police across the United Kingdom.
Tickets will be limited to two per person – eligible NHS, Primary Care and Emergency Services staff members and one guest – and will be available from Thursday April 2 at 7pm via Ticketmaster.
The coronavirus – which causes many sufferers to experience a persistent cough and high temperature – originated in Wuhan, China, and has swept across the globe, killing over 36,000 people worldwide, since December.
Many countries are now in lockdown – meaning people are practicing social distancing and are only allowed to leave their homes for necessities.
Celebrities such as Idris Elba, Tom Hanks and his wife Rita Wilson, Kristofer Hivju and Andy Cohen have contracted the deadly virus, while Queen Elizabeth’s son Prince Charles and Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson are currently in isolation after testing positive for the disease.
While Rick is putting on a concert for the brave NHS staff, other stars are donating lump sums to hospitals to help support them during this tough time.
Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds recently made a $400,000 donation towards the fight against coronavirus – just two weeks after they handed over a seven-figure sum to foodbanks in North America.
Kristen Bell has also agreed to host an hour-long Nickelodeon show called ‘#KidsTogether: The Nickelodeon Town Hall’, alongside medical experts to answer kids’ questions about COVID-19.