Surprise star guests in the wings

Richard Ellis, the man organising the event as part of a huge fundraising push for the Tsunami Appeal, said he was 70 per cent certain the footballers, both of whom are now broadcasters, would be there.

"They would be playing golf alongside the rest of us and the Swindon Town footballers," said Mr Ellis.

"It's not definite yet but their people have said they want to come. It's very exciting."

The charity golf day will be two days after the massive mAIDe for Asia concert at the Olympiad in Chippenham, which is being backed by the Wiltshire Gazette and Herald.

Mr Ellis hopes to raise at least £25,000 from both events.

He said 350 tickets had already been sold for the concert on February 5, which will feature stars such as Sweet guitarist Andy Scott, The Wurzels and The Specials.

"Tickets have been selling really quickly and we've still got a couple of weeks to go," he said.

"There has been a lot of interest."

Today Iron the Cat will be recording a special single to be released in the hope of giving the appeal a further boost.

The ballad, Another Day, was written by band member Ben Slater in response to the Asia disaster.

It is being recorded at the Real World Studios in Box.

On Saturday the song was aired on BBC Radio Wiltshire for the first time when Mr Slater, from Chippenham, performed live.

Mr Ellis said: "There were five or six seconds of total silence at the end.

"The presenter, Sandy Martin, just said 'wow'.

"Andy Scott of Sweet was on the phone from Brighton and he said it brought tears to his eyes. It was absolutely amazing."

Iron the Cat's single will be on sale at the concert in aid of the appeal and could be released on a national scale if demand is high enough.

Mr Ellis said he turned down an appearance by Elvis Presley Junior, who would have flown over from America specially to take part in the concert.

And Wiltshire's own jazz maestro Jamie Cullum is tied up with other arrangements, so could not make the concert.

Legendary 1980s ska band The Specials are lined up to play, as are country bumpkins The Wurzels.

Last week it was announced that Mr Scott, who lives at Cannings Cross near Devizes, added his weight to the concert and would be acting as compere on the night.

As more celebrity names are added to the list, other stars including Peter Gabriel and Midge Ure, still have not confirmed their attendance.

A huge banner advertising the concert has been placed across

Chippenham High Street and tickets are being sold from a stall in Emery Gate on Saturday.

Tickets cost £20 and include an Indian buffet provided by Calne restaurant The Spice of Bengal.

Tickets for mAIDe for Asia can also be bought from the Olympiad on (01249) 444144.

Companies lending their support to the concert

North Wiltshire Leisure Ltd, Bowood Golf and Country Club, Attwell Martin - auctioneer, support;

RAF Lyneham - open day;

Real World Studio - single production;

Virgin Mobile - sponsorship, T-shirts;

JDR Software Services - website;

White Hart Hotel, Calne - rooms, support;

Production Plus - sound and lights;

Hewlett Packard - auction prizes, printing, support;

Kingfisher Inc of Trowbridge - banner;

Mail Box Etc - poster printing;

Angel Hotel - rooms;

Little Balloon Company - balloons for decoration;

Mines Leisure Hire - tables, linen, cutlery;

Brian Mathews - glasses for bar;

Pro Guard Security - security;

Wadworths Brewery- beer;

Spice of Bengal - food;

Causeway Saab - car for auction;

Swindon Town Football Club - golf, auction, help;

Castle Coombe Race Circuit -race day;

Leykers Coffee Central - refreshments for golf day;

Leicester Rugby Club - auction items;

Noteworthy - auction;

Aon Consulting - ticket printing;

Blacklands Leisure, Mizuno, Titleist, Wilson, Footjoy,

Europcar, Chicago Rock Caf, Pizza Express - items for auction.