Rick Astley has announced that he putting on a free concert for NHS workers later this year.

The Never Gonna Give You Up singer will perform at the Manchester Arena on October 28 for all NHS frontline staff, primary care and emergency services workers as a “thank you” to those working throughout the coronavirus pandemic.

Astley told BBC Breakfast: “Everything they’re doing is absolutely incredible and someone like myself, you feel a bit helpless at times, you’re wondering what to do.

“So I guess that’s what I do, I sing for a living, so that’s what we’re going to do, we’re going to have a bit of a party on October 28.”

He added: “People have to put some gigs on and give people a bit of something to look forward to and to know that we will be through this and when we are, we can go out again, socialise again and do fun things again.

“I think this one-off gig that we’re going to do is just a flag in the ground to say, yes we are going to get back to normal, and we will be out there doing fun stuff again and obviously thank the first responders and the people on the frontline, that’s why we wanted to do that for them.

Celebrities reacting to coronavirus - In pictures 26 show all Celebrities reacting to coronavirus - In pictures 1/26 Gigi Hadid with boyfriend Zayn Malik and sister Bella during her quarantined 25th birthday celebration Instagram / @gigihadid 2/26 Joe Jonas and Sophia Turner have turned their isolation boredom into hilarious TikTok content TikTok 3/26 Kylie Jenner and best friend Stassie have been very active on TikTok TikTok 4/26 Gigi Hadid celebrated her 25th birthday with family while in quarantine Instagram / @gigihadid 5/26 Chrissy Teigen and John Legend have been able to enjoy time with their kids Instagram / @chrissyteigen 6/26 Katy Perry recorded herself for American Idol in a life sized hand sanitizer bottle Instagram / @katyperry 7/26 Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson were the first celebrities to have a confirmed case and kept us updated on their recovery journey on Twitter and Instagram Instagram / @tomhanks 8/26 Demi Moore and Bruce Willis in matching pajamas with their daughter and her boyfriend Instagram / @buuski 9/26 Kaia Gerber adopted a puppy to keep her company Instagram / @kaiagerber 10/26 Helena Christensen has been having her son take glam Instagram photos for her Instagram 11/26 Brooklyn Beckham in quarantine with his girlfriend Nicola Peltz Instagram 12/26 Matthew McConaughey played virtual bingo with seniors The Enclave at Round Rock Senior Living/Facebook 13/26 Kim Kardashian on a flight wearing a face mask and gloves @kimkardashian 14/26 Naomi Campbell preparing for a flight @naomi 15/26 Gwyneth Paltrow wearing a facemask during a plane ride @gwynethpaltrow 16/26 Bella Hadid wearing a face mask on a plane @bellahadid 17/26 Sophie Turner and Joe Jonas @sophiet 18/26 Sebastian Stan on a plane in protective gear @sebastianstan 19/26 Naomi Campbell preparing for a flight @naomi 20/26 Nicole Scherzinger with Thom Evans @nicolescherzinger 21/26 Idris Elba announced on Twitter that he had tested positive for coronavirus @idriselba 22/26 Robbie Williams greets fans with elbow bumps Getty Images 23/26 Kylie Jenner and best friend Stassie have been very active on TikTok TikTok 24/26 Kylie Jenner and best friend Stassie have been very active on TikTok TikTok 25/26 Joe Jonas and Sophia Turner have turned their isolation boredom into hilarious TikTok content TikTok 26/26 Katy Perry has taken to dressing up in outlandish costumes Instagram / @katyperry 1/26 Gigi Hadid with boyfriend Zayn Malik and sister Bella during her quarantined 25th birthday celebration Instagram / @gigihadid 2/26 Joe Jonas and Sophia Turner have turned their isolation boredom into hilarious TikTok content TikTok 3/26 Kylie Jenner and best friend Stassie have been very active on TikTok TikTok 4/26 Gigi Hadid celebrated her 25th birthday with family while in quarantine Instagram / @gigihadid 5/26 Chrissy Teigen and John Legend have been able to enjoy time with their kids Instagram / @chrissyteigen 6/26 Katy Perry recorded herself for American Idol in a life sized hand sanitizer bottle Instagram / @katyperry 7/26 Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson were the first celebrities to have a confirmed case and kept us updated on their recovery journey on Twitter and Instagram Instagram / @tomhanks 8/26 Demi Moore and Bruce Willis in matching pajamas with their daughter and her boyfriend Instagram / @buuski 9/26 Kaia Gerber adopted a puppy to keep her company Instagram / @kaiagerber 10/26 Helena Christensen has been having her son take glam Instagram photos for her Instagram 11/26 Brooklyn Beckham in quarantine with his girlfriend Nicola Peltz Instagram 12/26 Matthew McConaughey played virtual bingo with seniors The Enclave at Round Rock Senior Living/Facebook 13/26 Kim Kardashian on a flight wearing a face mask and gloves @kimkardashian 14/26 Naomi Campbell preparing for a flight @naomi 15/26 Gwyneth Paltrow wearing a facemask during a plane ride @gwynethpaltrow 16/26 Bella Hadid wearing a face mask on a plane @bellahadid 17/26 Sophie Turner and Joe Jonas @sophiet 18/26 Sebastian Stan on a plane in protective gear @sebastianstan 19/26 Naomi Campbell preparing for a flight @naomi 20/26 Nicole Scherzinger with Thom Evans @nicolescherzinger 21/26 Idris Elba announced on Twitter that he had tested positive for coronavirus @idriselba 22/26 Robbie Williams greets fans with elbow bumps Getty Images 23/26 Kylie Jenner and best friend Stassie have been very active on TikTok TikTok 24/26 Kylie Jenner and best friend Stassie have been very active on TikTok TikTok 25/26 Joe Jonas and Sophia Turner have turned their isolation boredom into hilarious TikTok content TikTok 26/26 Katy Perry has taken to dressing up in outlandish costumes Instagram / @katyperry

The singer-songwriter said that he was “gutted” to have to postpone his UK tour amid the on-going coronavirus crisis, which was meant to kick off on April 3.

“We tried to postpone (the dates) as soon as possible to give people the chance to sort stuff out and rearrange their lives around it, but it’s difficult making that decision, it’s the last decision you want,” he said.

“I’ve only cancelled one gig in the whole of my life and that was because I had horrendous food poisoning.

“It doesn’t sit well with me to do it, but obviously these are very different circumstances and it’s nobody’s fault, it’s just the way it is, but it’s gutting for people.

Those wanting to attend Astley’s free concert will need to bring their valid staff ID card as ticket checks will be in operation.

They will be able to bring one guest as a plus one, who must enter the venue at the same time.

Additional reporting from PA