Sandwich Guitar Festival is supporting music education at Great Oaks Small School in Minster.

The school provides a learning environment for those children who, for a variety of reasons, mainstream education is unsuitable.

Music making plays a key role in the education activities within the school but there is a need for more musical instruments and music recording equipment.

Bob Drury, organiser of the festival starting on Thursday, October 2, at St Mary’s Arts Centre, Strand Street, decided that to raise money for the school he would ask players and audiences to donate £5 to sign a special all-white guitar.

Music teacher James Davies said: “It is amazing to see children’s talent rapidly develop when they discover a musical skill and the impact on their confidence, self esteem and engagement with academic learning is dramatic.”

All the money raised will go towards funding more instruments for the Great Oaks Small School.

The school, which normally has around 16 pupils, specialises in a technique called Neuro-Developmental Therapy which is a drug free treatment that can help with specific learning difficulties and anxiety problems.

Mr Drury from Yellowstone Events Ltd is proud to be supporting a passion for music in young people and the guitar will also be signed at the festival next year as organisers hope Sandwich Guitar Festival will become a yearly event.

He said: “We plan to run the Sandwich Guitar Festival every year and have lots of ideas as to how it might grow into a major event in the Sandwich calendar.

"However, we’ve got to get the project out of the starting blocks and have based this first year in just one venue in the town.”

The world class players performing at the festival from Thursday through till Sunday, include Preston Reed, Larry Miller, Nigel Price, David Buckingham and Gary Ryan.

It aims to celebrate all guitar styles and will feature flamenco concerts, acoustic, classical and jazz to blues and rock.

For more information visit the website at www.sandwichguitarfestival.com.