Stars from one of the world’s biggest rock bands gave their time and hearts to charity almost 20 years ago.

Mark Knopfler and his fellow stars from Dire Straits pulled a 3,000 crowd into the lawns of Lord Montagu’s Palace House to raise cash for the Countryside Education Trust on July 28, 2002.

It was their fourth charity concert in the space of six days, following three other sell-outs at the Shepherd’s Bush Empire in London.

Knopfler, John Ilsley, Guy Fletcher, Danny Cummings and Chris White from Dire Straits showed that they were the sultans of swing on a glorious evening.

And when daylight faded into darkness, the Dire Straits men and their pals from Knopfler’s other big group, the Notting Hill Billies, grew brighter.

The concert, billed Mark Knopfler and Friends, had the usually sedate Palace House really rocking with the songs which had sparked an almost immediate sell-out when the tickets went on sale.

They had been thanked by Lord Montagu of Beaulieu and by Lady Montagu, who was the president of the Countryside Education Trust.