An open-air fund-raising concert for Ukraine by the Devizes Town Band drew donations at the rate of £1,000 an hour on Saturday – after bringing tears to the eyes of onlookers as the band played the Ukrainian national anthem.

The three-hour performance at the Market Place raised a total of £3,152 – with some people putting £20 notes in the collection tins.

The band played a selection of 22 songs, including Somewhere Over The Rainbow and My Heart Will Go On, the theme from Titanic – but it was when they launched loudly into the Ukrainian national anthem that it touched the hearts of shoppers and made them reach for their wallets.

As onlookers stood in moved silence, a number of them welled up at hearing the performance of Colin Kirkpatrick's arrangement of the anthem written in 1863 by Mykhailo Verbytsky.

The chairman of the town band, Devizes town councillor Kelvin Nash, said: “I am full of pride and admiration for the band, who rose to the challenge and, under the expert leadership of our MD Sharon Lindo, produced a first-class performance played with real feeling and passion.

“It was totally befitting the current situation and I know how much this was appreciated by the townsfolk and by our Ukrainian community.”

The band posted a short clip of the national anthem performance on social media, where it was applauded by more than a thousand people, including Dragon’s Den star Deborah Meaden, who retweeted it to her 569,000 followers and commented “brilliant!”

Other compliments on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram included: “Thank you so much – I was moved to tears by your rendition of the Ukrainian National Anthem – well done”, “magnificent and moving!” and “listening to the band made my morning, thank you!”

Michael Ruby, one of the band supporters shaking a collection tin, said: “This was a real pleasure to support - the band were so appreciated. I had several people who went straight to the cashpoint to get £10 or £20 pound notes.

“Most shared the sentiment of disbelief and horror about the crisis. One lady, who must have been 90, said how she’d lived through WWII and never thought she’d see something like this again in Europe. She gave a £20 note.”  

Another collector, Elaine Penfold, said: “Several people were saying they had lumps in their throats listening to the Ukrainian national anthem.

“Usually when you see someone with a collection box, many people try and divert to the other side of the road, but certainly not in this case for this need. Many children appeared with their hands overflowing and full of coins.”

Watch the Devizes Town Band play the Ukrainian national anthem at the top of this story - make sure to turn your sound on!