The X Factor finalists' single Hero has raised £1million for charity as the biggest selling single of the year so far. On Wednesday it was confirmed that the cover of the Mariah Carey song had reached sales of 540,000, overtaking Duffy's Mercy, which has sold 510,000. The £1million will go to its charities Help for Heroes and the Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal. Bryn Parry, founder of Help For Heroes, said: "The money raised from the sale of Hero will go directly to improve the lives of those who have been wounded both physically and mentally in the current conflicts... "When we watched the video of Hero on [The X Factor on] Saturday night in a room full of servicemen having a beer it was extraordinary. The first few bars of the song, now so familiar, played but as the images came on the screen, the voices stilled until every one was watching, thinking and reflecting" On Tuesday, the Royal British Legion organised an event in London's Trafalgar Square for the Two Minute Silence and showed the video for Hero on giant screens. The Chancellor of the Exchequer earlier announced that the Government will waive VAT on the sale of the single, by making an exceptional one-off charitable donation equivalent to the sum of the VAT receipts collected on sales of the single. CLICK BELOW to watch The X Factor finalists sing Hero
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFK71ADEjNw&hl=en&fs=1
