ONE of the country's finest church musicians is staging a special concert this month to raise money for the Abbots Morton Bell Tower Appeal.

Award winning composer Francis Grier, who now lives in North London, is holding the concert at Inkberrow parish church, which is where he used to practise on the organ as a teenager when his parents lived in Worcestershire.

Mr Grier went on to become organist at Christ Church, Oxford, for nine years and became a prolific composer, winning a British Composer of the Year award in 2012 for his MIssa Brevis, one of two masses he wrote for St Paul's Cathedral.

His charity fundraising concert is on Saturday, July 19 when he'll be performing in The Grier Trio, along with his two daughters, 21 year old Savitri Grier playing the violin and 19 year old Indira Grier on cello. Mr Grier will be playing a grand piano hired in especially for the occasion from Vale Pianos.

A total of £40,000 is needed to repair the masonry of the bell tower of Abbots Morton's Grade-1 listed St Peter's Church. It is the church where Mr Grier and his wife, Anjali, were married 24 years ago.

He said: "I've a great affection for that beautiful Norman church and for the village, where my sister, Lynda, still lives. I wanted to do what I could to help restore the church's 14th century bell tower and this concert with my two daughters seemed the natural thing to do."

Tickets can be bought in advance from Lynne Pemberton on 01386 792549 or on the door. Doors at St Peter's church, Inkberrow, open at 7pm for the concert which starts at 7.30pm.

For more details, see abbotsmortonbelltower.co.uk.