Malcolm's music brings in £600 worth of goods to help town food bank

Singer Malcolm Dent, 67, rocketed to fame online and around Gosport in 2015 when he recorded a Christmas single and raised £1,500.

Last year the CD sold a solid £600 worth – as he did not get as much chance to promote the charity single.

Now he has ordered food and essential items for the Gosport and Fareham Food Bank at its branch at the United Reformed Church in Stoke Road, Gosport.

Malcolm, of St Mary’s Avenue, Alverstoke, said: ‘It’s one of those sad things that we have to have food banks in the first place but it’s a practical point.

‘If at the end of the day if people like me, the Rotary and the Lions, if we didn’t do what we do then a lot of people would fall through the net.

‘I just love helping the community, I love doing things that will benefit others.’

He raised the cash in December last year, the same month he travelled to Albania to help deliver around 20,000 shoeboxes full of gifts for children.

Malcolm recorded a Christmas single after being urged to do so by his grandchildren – and by Nick Bowen at The Attic guitar shop in Stoke Road.

‘At first I did it for the family, I sing when I go round Tesco so my grandchildren jokingly said “you should make a CD so we can listen to it when you’re gone”.

‘I was in a guitar shop one day and sitting in a corner playing and singing to myself.

‘This feller came over and said “you haven’t got a bad voice”.

‘He said “you should think about making an EP”.’

It was then Malcolm booked an hour’s recording time at a studio Nick runs and recorded the tracks, while producing a video.