GUITAR heroes will rock 'n' roll all night to put a smile on the faces of children who have lost a parent serving with the armed forces.

Popular Dudley venue Rock Zombie will play host to a dozen heavy metal bands who will thrash to raise cash for Scotty's Little Soldiers.

Warlord vocalist and bass player Mark White, from Cradley Heath, decided to organise the charity gig after he saw people ignoring a former soldier collecting for Help For Heroes in Halesowen's Cornbow Shopping Centre.

He said: "I was so shocked that I gave him the rest of my change and decided I needed to do something to help an armed forces charity."

After discussing his plan with Gaz Owen, a former soldier and fellow musician from Leicester based band Garganjua, there was only one charity Mark wanted to support.

He explained: "Gaz served in Afghanistan and told me a horrific story of how he was pulled from a burning tank by a soldier called Lee Scott.

"When Gaz recovered, he wanted to thank Lee but sadly he was told he'd been killed in action."

Lee's widow Nikki set up a charity called Scotty's Little Soldiers after witnessing firsthand the devastating affect his death had on their two children.

The charity supports bereaved British forces children by offering family breaks at holiday lodges, gifts at difficult times of the year, special experiences and a group Christmas party.

Mark said: "As soon as he told me about it, I knew that we had to do it for them so I got in touch with them and it's gone from there."

The gig will take place at the King Street music venue on March 5 from 1pm and tickets will be available on the door, priced £5.

Bands including Shebrew, Cambion, Repulsive and Kataleptic have all agreed to perform to support the cause and Rock Zombie landlord Kenny Jinks has offered the venue free of charge for the event.