A local musician got Colerne rocking earlier this month, raising over £3,000 for Dorothy House Hospice.

The concert at the Village Hall on Saturday March 8 was organised by the family of local man Gerald Chamberlain, on what would have been his 80th birthday. He died of a brain tumour last year, after being cared for at the Winsley hospice.

Former Fox and Hounds landlord and rock guitarist Stuart Rolfe recruited two local bands to perform on the night, Choad in the Hole and Odd Man Out, getting on stage with them both.

He said: “The family have raised over £3,000, which is fantastic.

“I just want to say thank you to everyone who donated and to say thank you to the hard work everyone put into it.

“Between Friday morning and Sunday night I had 10 hours sleep, after putting the stage up, performing and then taking it all down, so a lot of effort went into it.

“It looks as if it will become a yearly event as people have been asking about next year, already.”

A raffle held on the night had so many prizes it took over an hour to complete, with a Mark Knopfler-signed guitar attracting a great deal of interest, along with a dress signed by Lorraine Kelly.

Mr Rolfe is no stranger to musical fundraising, having released a 10-track CD this year to support a number of local charities, and he is already working on his follow-up.

The first part of a proposed double album, ‘If It’s Broken’ has raised much-needed funds for the Bath RUH Forever Friends Appeal, and Jemima’s Gift, the charity established in memory of local schoolgirl Jemima Prees.

The CD is available only from www.stuartrolfe.co.uk