A MAJOR charity gig is being in held in the region on the evening of the Great North Run.

The inaugural Rock n Raise will feature the Kaiser Chiefs at the Metro Radio Arena in Newcastle on September 11.

Singer Ricky Wilson, a judge on The Voice, will start the run and is taking part for the first time, as well as featuring on BBC start line coverage.

He said: “We can’t wait to come up to Newcastle to support such deserving causes.

“The North-East is always a special place to perform, the crowd is always amazing and it’s impossible not to feel energised when the audience is so fantastic, even if you have just run half a marathon.”

It is the first fundraising event of the newly-formed Graham Wylie Foundation and Wilson’s band is being supported by Irish rockers Kodaline.

Great North Run founder Brendan Foster, said: “We’re delighted to welcome Ricky to join us at the Great North Run.

“It’s fantastic our entrants will get the first opportunity to join the party, and we hope many of them will get behind this fantastic cause.”

High profile celebrities from the region and beyond have already offered their support for the initiative, including Ant and Dec, Alan Shearer and Roger Daltrey.

Rock n Raise is in aid of Teenage Cancer Trust, Nordoff Robbins and the Graham Wylie Foundation and all money raised will stay in the region.

Siobhan Dunn, chief executive of Teenage Cancer Trust, said: “Music is at the heart of Teenage Cancer Trust and the young people we work with, so it’s great to be part of such a fantastic show with the backing of so many of the North-East’s biggest names.

“Our friends the Kaiser Chiefs have been great supporters over the years and are a brilliant choice to take part.

“Right now for every young person we support there is another we can’t reach, and this fantastic event will help us change this.”

Rock n Raise has been launched by entrepreneur Graham Wylie, the founder of Sage, who is meeting all running, staff and administration costs to ensure all money raised goes to charitable causes.

Angie Jenkison, the foundation’s chief executive, said: “We’re absolutely thrilled to be launching Rock n Raise in the North-East on Great North Run day.

“This is a major coup for the region and will see some of the UK’s leading musicians and bands arrive on Tyneside.

“It will also be our first major fundraising event for the foundation which we hope to establish annually.”

Tickets costing £25 and £35 will go on sale at 9am on Friday, June 3, and are available by logging on to www.metroradioarena.co.uk or by calling 0844-493-6666.