THE weather outside was frightful, but the music was delightful inside Merriott’s All Saints Church for its festive Carols and Classics night.

The concert raised £1,532 towards repairing the Lychgate – the shelter over the church gateway – thanks to local sponsorship and donations, along with a sell-out of over 200 tickets and a raffle which raised over £250 alone.

The evening was Joe Fisher’s fifth annual Carols and Classics concert for the church – a mixture of instrumental solos, duets, quartet and quintet classical works and festive arrangements, all performed enthusiastically by the extremely talented young musicians with the Bowen Ensemble, above, from London.

The audience participated in community carols, and were enthralled by the performances.

A beautiful rendition of Silent Night as a piano duet, with a festive finale with handbells, was an encore which left the church in silence as the final bell tolled, followed by thunderous applause.

PAUL FISHER