Pew the tunes - 24 hour music marathon aims to raise funds for historic Bedfordshire church

A 24-hour music marathon is set to raise money for an 800-year-old church in Shillington.

The Friends of All Saints Shillington have organised a ‘Rock Around the Clock’ event.

Some 20 musicians will play across 24 hours, beginning on Saturday June 10 at 9am, from school choirs, folk music and jazz covers to solo pianists and celloists. The church bells will signal the start and finish of the 24 hours.

Residents are invited to bop along and enjoy refreshments served throughout the event; from coffee and cake across the day to a cheeky fizz at tea time and bacon butties at sunrise.

The event will also be live-streamed for those unable to attend.

The money raised will fund repairs to stonework, pews and flagstones among other restorations to the Grade I listed building, once described by broadcaster and poet John Betjeman as ‘the cathedral of the Chilterns'.

The site of the church has been a place for worshippers since the eighth century while its oldest parts date back to the 11th century.

Joy Robertson, the driving force behind the fundraiser, said: “I just wanted to come up with something completely mental that has caught the imagination of the village - and beyond! The event was inspired by Sophie Ellis-Bextor who danced for 24 hours in her kitchen and Owain Wyn Evans who drummed for 24 hours, both for Children in Need.”

Visit the dedicated website to donate to the project and the Friends’ charity page for more information and the musical programme. Cash is also accepted on the day.