THE green, green grass of Dorset has tempted Sir Tom Jones who has been announced as the headline act at this year’s Larmer Tree Festival.

The legendary Welsh singer will be kicking off the festival on Wednesday, July 16.

Sir Tom, who is a coach on BBC1’s singing contest The Voice, is one of the most popular vocalists of all time with a string of hits to his name including It’s Not Unusual, Delilah, She’s a Lady, and Green, Green Grass of Home.

He has sold more than 100 million records during a career spanning more than 50 years and his accolades include a Grammy Award for Best New Artist in 1966 and the Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution to Music in 2003.

Organisers say Sir Tom will perform on the main stage on the evening of the first day and festivalgoers can expect an ‘electrifying set’ and a ‘party atmosphere’ as they sing along to classic songs as well as hearing tracks from his latest album Spirit in the Room and 2010’s Praise & Blame.

Sir Tom said: “I’ve heard great things about Larmer Tree Festival so it will be my pleasure to come and perform there.

“It looks like a wonderful setting for a great night of good music.”

The award-winning five-day Larmer Tree Festival, a quirky English event set in stunning gardens on the Dorset-Wiltshire border, is a feast of all types of culture from film and comedy to music art and crafts. This year it will be from July 16-20.

A limited batch of early bird tickets are on sale today from 9am.

Larmer Tree Festival co-director James Shepard said: “We are hugely excited and proud to have Tom Jones kick start the five-day festival party.

“The intimate atmosphere of the Larmer Tree lawns will give our audience a chance to see this true legend in a unique and very special setting.”

For early tickets and more details about the festival see larmertreefestival.co.uk