The X Factor charity single Hero has held onto its number one spot for a second week.

The song, which was recorded to support the Help For Heroes and the Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal, sold over 189,000 copies this week, bringing the total sold so far to nearly 503,000 copies.

That makes Hero the fastest selling charity record of the decade as well as the fastest selling single of 2008.

Chancellor Alistair Darling has already stated that the Government will waive all VAT on the single, and many top retailers have announced that all profits from the sale of the single will be donated to the fund.

Bryn Parry, who founded Help For Heroes, said, “It is wonderful that the finalists of X Factor have released Hero to raise money for Help For Heroes and the Royal British Legion’s Poppy Appeal. This is not only the fastest selling single of the year, it is a powerful symbol of the support that the people of this country feel for their servicemen and women.”

Beyonce came in at number two with her new single, If I Were A Boy, while former X Factor winner Leona Lewis went straight in at number five with Forgive Me.