A festival of music and flowers comes to Upwell to raise money for church funds.

The Upwell Methodist festival is on Saturday 28 and Sunday 29 March when the church and gardens will be open for visitors to enjoy.

On Saturday from 10am to 4pm there will be a craft fair and from 10.30am to 11.30am there is a music workshop for children.

All afternoon there will be live music in the church with activities for children in the choir vestry from 2-4pm.

On Saturday at 7pm there will be a musical variety show with Sean Moyses, one of Europe’s top banjo players, with support act the Teddy’s Boys, a local ukulele group set up in memory of Ted Skelton.

Tickets for this event, which include a buffet supper, are £8 each in advance of £9 on the door. Available from Jane Hurst on 01945-588282.

Sean has been playing banjo since he was 11, encouraged by his family, who all played music. He mastered the ukulele, mandolin, five-string banjo, plectrum banjo, guitar and uke-banjo and as well as playing folk, country, bluegrass and acoustic music, developed a love for jazz and swing music of the 1920’s and 1930’s.

His ambition of appearing with the famous Pasadena Roof Orchestra soon became a reality and with them he has performed major concerts,television and radio broadcasts not only in England, but in the Netherlands, France, Spain, Switzerland and Germany too.

He has performed musical comedy with the hilarious Bob Kerr’s Whoopee Band and visited more than 15 countries in six years doing concerts in Spike Jones City Slickers style.

He was a member of Rod Mason’s Hot Five for ten of those. He has guested with bands such as The Barrelhouse Jazzband, Papa Bue’s Viking Jazzband, Joe Wulf’s Gentlemen of Swing, The Best of British Jazz Gala, The Aces of Syncopation, The European Top Eight concerts and has often appeared as a solo-ist in the USA and Japan.

Sunday starts with community hymn singing at 10.15 am. The Palm Sunday service will be taken by Deacon Donna Ely at 10.30 am.

On Sunday afternoon from 2pm to 3pm there will be a Songs of Praise and the church and gardens will be open from 2 to 5pm.