OLD-SCHOOL crooner Gordon Haskell has donated a signed guitar to Children in Need.The 55-year-old singer, who rose to fame again when he almost beat Robbie Williams to last year's Christmas number one, gave the guitar to BBC Radio Suffolk as they were the very first to play his hit song.

OLD-SCHOOL crooner Gordon Haskell has donated a signed guitar to Children in Need.

The 55-year-old singer, who rose to fame again when he almost beat Robbie Williams to last year's Christmas number one, gave the guitar to BBC Radio Suffolk as they were the very first to play his hit song.

Mr Haskell gave the instrument to Stephen Foster on his BBC Radio Suffolk show to auction for the charity.

Mr Foster said: "I'll be auctioning it off on Saturday, November 16. Gordon tells me I was the very first person to play his music on radio and thought he'd mark this with this special donation."

Radio Suffolk is hoping to raise a three-figure sum for Children In Need.

Mr Haskell's jazz-tinged ballad "How Wonderful You Are" became the single most-requested song on BBC Radio Two last year.

He was just beaten to the top spot in the charts by Robbie Williams and Nicole Kidman's "Something Stupid".

He followed that with a top five album Harry's Bar and is about to release a new single "Whole Wide World" which could prove to be another festive favourite.

n The Evening Star will be backing the Children In Need appeal again this year – see the paper all this week for the latest appeal news.