Wendy-Elizabeth Leggatt played the organ at a 60th birthday party at Southsea Community Centre.

Instead of presents, the birthday girl asked for donations from the 60 people who attended for Wendy-Elizabeth's chosen charities as a thank-you for the recital – and Wendy-Elizabeth opted to pass the money to the memorial fund.

She said: 'I lived through the Blitz here and anyone who lived through it wants to honour those who died in the war. I am ferociously proud of Portsmouth so want to give something back. It is nice to do something for those who gave their lives.'

The concert raised £316. Wendy-Elizabeth split the money between the Portsmouth World War II Memorial Trust and Age Concern Portsmouth.

The trust was set up by Jean Louth whose father died at Dunkirk. She has been working for 18 years to provide the memorial to commemorate the 3,500 local civilians and servicemen who died in the war. To carve each name on memorial tablets will cost £30 – £100,000 in total.

Portsmouth City Council leader Gerald Vernon-Jackson said: 'It is important that each generation remembers those people who died in defence of freedom.'