A MUSICAL duo took part in a concert tour around a number of landmark Dorset churches to raise money to preserve the buildings.

Katy Ashman and Miles Nipper performed in 17 different venues across the county on Saturday, July 23, covering a distance of approximately 50 miles.

Their goal was to raise money to support historic places of worship all over Dorset in order to preserve them for future generations.

They will donate the money they have raised to the Dorset Historic Churches Trust, which works to maintain historically significant churches across the county.

Their journey started at St Mary's Church in Holnest at 9am and the final performance, in Bradford Abbas, ended at around 7pm.

The pair, known as The Wandering Winds, are both interested in local history and so chose to weave in anecdotes and stories related to each particular church in their performances.

Katy said: "We are still counting funds and receiving donations. We think we have broken just over £1,000 so we are really thrilled.

"We had a very warm welcome at each church. We were really encouraged by the audiences and the warm welcomes that we had."

Katy played the flute and Miles played the bassoon throughout the day, attending some of the county's most secluded churches.

The duo performed for more than five hours in total across the 17 churches, with different audiences joining them at each of the venues.

Katy added: "In these villages, the churches are important community buildings.

"In some places, they are the only building in which the community can get together.

"We are both into local history and the historical importance of churches.

"It is not just about keeping the roof on the buildings for us.

"We just love taking our music out and it was really special. It was a unique event."

The duo are still accepting donations to the cause and you can donate online by visiting justgiving.com/TheWanderingWinds