Fordingbridge Music Festival coming to St Mary's Church

THE award-winning Foresters brass band will lead an evening concert at St Mary’s Church in Fordingbridge as part of a festival to kick-start a £500,000 fundraising drive.

The church needs to fund a new heating system and roof for the naive as well a stained-glass window refurbishment and improvements to disabled access.

The St Mary’s Fordingbridge Music and Arts Festival will run from Saturday 25th June to Monday 27th June following the success of previous events in 2017 and 2018.

On Saturday 25th, pop-up groups and singers will perform regularly throughout the day in a series of free shows.

In the evening there will be a concert by the award-winning, Leicester-based Foresters brass band with the dramatic display of a huge 150-year-old embroidered banner filling the chancel arch as a backdrop.

Church warden Nigel Spratt said: “Because of its size it is very rare for the banner to be displayed, so it really is a unique opportunity to see this historic and very beautiful artefact.

“It has only been on view twice in the last 50 years to my certain knowledge – this will be the third time.”

All proceeds from the concert will go to the church as the band expenses have been donated by the Fordingbridge Court of the Foresters. There will also be a retiring collection for Rays of Sunshine, a charity that provides support for terminally ill children and their families.

Concert admission is £10 payable at the door, to include drinks in the interval.

The festival will continue on Sunday 26th June with a Big Sing Festival Service led by local choirs. Later in the afternoon a sing-along to the nation’s favourite hymns will begin at 5pm.

On Monday 27th a Big Sing for Schools workshop will be performed by pupils from Breamore, Burgate, the Fordingbridge Federation and Hale schools lead by Susie Lamb, director of music at Salisbury Cathedral.

This will be followed by more musical performances and a short play by Redlynch Players.