Wednesday 2 March 2011


Bring them home CD launched

By Gareth Butterfield
A FORMER West End singer from Ashbourne has produced a charity CD to support soldiers in conflicts across the world.
Charity CD launch
Charity CD launch
David Sunter moved to Ashbourne 14 years ago following a prestigious career that saw him performing alongside the likes of Elaine Page and David Essex in West End musicals.
Now a psychotherapist, Mr Sunter has been so inspired by stories in the news of courage and tragedy in Afghanistan he has written and performed a song he hopes will help raise money for soldiers and their families.
Supported by the Ashbourne branch of the Royal British Legion, and with orchestration, arrangements and recording by local musician Steve Duckworth, the new song “Bring Them Home” is expected to be on sale soon.
Mr Sunter, who sang the song at St John’s Church for Ashbourne’s Remembrance Festival in November, said: “The song is an out-pouring on my part on how I felt and how I believe a lot of people feel when they hear stories of soldiers dying on the news.
“I’m not saying I can imagine how it feels to have lost a partner or a son or daughter because I don’t even have an inkling of that but I feel passionate about making sure there’s enough support for them when they come back or for their families if they are killed or injured.” Mr Sunter and Mr Duckworth have presented one of the first CD recordings of the song to Ashbourne’s MP Patrick McLoughlin, who heard the song for the first time at Mr Sunter’s house in the town centre.
He said: “I think it’s very nice and it gives a very warm message that the troops have done a fantastic job and it acknowledges what their families have had to go through.” The song is expected to go on sale in the coming weeks through the soon-to-belaunched website www.bringthemhome.org and funds raised will be split between Help for Heroes, the Royal British Legion and ex-service personnel charity The Warrior Programme.