Some of the biggest names in popular music are backing a national fundraising campaign that involves Saltaire’s Yamaha Music School.

Kylie Minogue, Jamie Cullum, Jools Holland and chart-topping Paolo Nutini all back the plan for the NSPCC to provide a free helpline for youngsters in distress.

Saltaire’s Yamaha Music School is offering free starter lessons on guitar, piano, keyboards and vocals to newcomers – in exchange for a donation to ChildLine Rocks.

The aim is to raise £60,000 from all 92 Yamaha schools in the country for the £50 million NSPCC’s Child’s Voice Appeal to ensure that every child’s call for help to ChildLine is answered.

Rino Grice, principal of the school based at Salts Mill, said: “For years we have given free trial lessons to all who come to our school.

“To give £2 for this charity is a great way to raise money for ChildLine.”

The Yamaha scheme, announced earlier this week at the Classic Rock Awards, is supported by musicians such as US guitar ace Joe Bonamassa. His album Sloe Gin topped the US Billboard Blues chart for ten weeks. He said: “I think the fact that ChildLine Rocks and Yamaha are able to offer free music lessons to people of all ages, presents an amazing opportunity for people who otherwise wouldn’t be able to afford it.”

ChildLine is able to answer 2.3 million distress calls from children and young people every year.

Yamaha’s Ricci Hodgson said: “Yamaha is founded on a culture of enriching people’s lives through music-making, while ChildLine takes the most vulnerable children in our community and offers a lifeline to them.

“We’d like to think this partnership will help the more fortunate to help the less fortunate in our community.”

The campaign culminates next year with the third annual ChildLine Rocks concert at London’s O2 Indigo.

A band formed from Yamaha Music School pupils will be invited to open the show. They will then become Young ChildLine Rocks ambassadors, touring schools to raise awareness and more money.

ChildLine Rocks’ first show in 2008 – starring Roger Daltrey, Lulu, Marillion and The Zombies – raised more than £100,000 for ChildLine.