An amazing video has emerged of a homeless man with a rather impressive voice joining a busker for an impromptu jam on the street.

The footage, filmed in Leeds, UK on New Year's Eve, shows the busker playing while the homeless man called Bernard sings along.

The performer, who has been a busker and musician for 15 years, later wrote online: " I was approached by a homeless man who asked if he could sing with me.

"I spend a lot of time playing music on the streets and had seen this man many times over the years, but had never heard him sing."

"He took to the mic and sang Summertime," he continued.

"I was blown away by his voice and the passion of his delivery and I asked someone standing nearby to film the encounter on my phone.

The musician is the director of the Keep Streets Live Campaign, a not for profit organisation which advocates for public spaces which are open to informal offerings of art and music and against the criminalisation of homelessness.

My name is Jonny Walker, I am a 35 year old, Liverpool-born singer-songwriter, professional musician and have been a busker for 15 years.

I am the director of the Keep Streets Live Campaign, a not for profit organisation which advocates for public spaces which are open to informal offerings of art and music and against the criminalisation of homelessness (see http://keepstreetslive.com). We campaign for policies that support a vibrant and spontaneous street culture and have worked with city authorities in Liverpool, Birmingham, York, Chester, London, Bath and Canterbury to implement busking policies that keep the streets open to all, regardless of their background. We are currently campaigning in Exeter against a plan to allow the council to seize and destroy the possessions of homeless people. Our petition has been signed by over 10,000 people so far (https://www.change.org/p/exeter-city-council-don-t-criminalise-exeter-s-rough-sleepers-or-destroy-their-belongings).

I am also the patron of a charity called 'Inn Churches' which provides emergency accommodation for the homeless and vulnerably housed through the coldest winter months and intercepts food waste to feed the hungry (http://www.innchurches.co.uk).

On New Year's Eve 2015 I went out busking in Leeds, in Yorkshire UK. I was approached by a homeless man who asked if he could sing with me. I spend a lot of time playing music on the streets and had seen this man many times over the years, but had never heard him sing. He took to the mike and sang 'Summertime'. I was blown away by his voice and the passion of his delivery and I asked someone standing nearby to film the encounter on my phone. They captured this video which I shared on my Facebook page immediately and which had been watched by nearly 500,000 people only four days later.

'My spontaneous street jam with Bernard was a soul-affirming, enriching experience which summed up everything I love about street culture and the reason I campaign for streets which are open to art and music. The streets are full of wonderful surprises and stories. I hope Bernard's amazing improvised version of 'summertime' helps people to remember not to judge people they see on the streets according to their appearances, but to always look beneath the surface and find the person. At a time when many city authorities are introducing measures which criminalise the homeless and place restrictions on street performance, I hope this impromptu performance demonstrates the reason why streets should be places of community and culture.

Jonny Walker

Jonnywalker@me.com