Kiwi Singer performs tribute to Dame Vera Lynn

A professional musician who tours New Zealand performing Dame Vera Lynn’s songs has raised £650 for the beloved singer’s Children’s Charity.

Vicki Lee, who regularly performs Dame Vera’s classics to WW2 veterans in her home country, staged a special tribute concert to the singer at Great Ote Hall, Wivelsfield on Sunday – by kind permission of Carola Godman Irvine.

The audience, which included Dame Vera’s daughter, Virginia Lewis-Jones, were taken on a musical journey through the Forces’ Sweetheart’s life.

Vicki began by performing songs from early in the legend’s career, such as ‘When I Hear Big Ben’, ‘A Wing and a Prayer’, and ‘I’ll Be Seeing You’. She then continued with renditions of ‘Auf Wiedersehen Sweetheart’ and ‘A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square’, before the audience joined in for a rousing finale by singing ‘The White Cliffs of Dover’ and ‘We’ll Meet Again’.

The concert was Vicki’s latest fundraising endeavour for the Dame Vera Lynn Children’s Charity, after she performed in Palmerston North, New Zealand on 13 March to mark Dame Vera’s 100^th birthday.

Following the concert, Vicki had the opportunity to visit Dame Vera and share memories of her antipodean performances.

Vicki said: “It was an honour for me to perform some of Dame Vera’s famous songs to a Sussex audience, and I was hugely encouraged by the response to the singalong. Meeting Dame Vera for the second time was the highlight of my trip to Europe and that memory will stay with me forever. It is important that we keep alive her wonderful legacy for future generations.”

Dame Vera Lynn added: “Vicki is a hugely talented musician and singer, and I am immensely grateful for her fundraising efforts for the Children’s Charity. I hope she will continue to bring comfort and joy to veterans and elderly people in New Zealand for many years to come.”

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